


Arcanum

by First_Peach



Series: Second Chances [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Afterlife, Akatsuki - Freeform, Akatsuki Haruno Sakura, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Haruno Sakura, Bitter sakura, Blood Manipulation, Child Abuse, Childhood Trauma, Dark Haruno Sakura, Even more smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Graphic Description, Grey Haruno Sakura, Haruno Sakura is So Done, Haruno Sakura-centric, Incest, Kabuto is BI, Kakashi and Guy bromance, M/M, Missing-Nin, Missing-Nin Haruno Sakura, Morally Grey Haruno Sakura, Nagato smut, No Kaguya, No Zetsu, No beta we die like Neji, Orochimaru in love, Orochimaru smut, Parent/Child Incest, Punishment, Rape, Rape Aftermath, Rebirth, Sasori lives, Screw Kaguya, Shikamaru fucked up, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Strong Haruno Sakura, Suicide, Suicide Attempt, Trauma, Underage Sex, Whipping, because what was Kishimoto smoking during that arc??, blowjob, even more smut :D, lashing, nukenin, profanities
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:08:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 80
Words: 207,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27169096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/First_Peach/pseuds/First_Peach
Summary: Sakura Haruno is given a second chance in life. Second chance to relive her life. This time, Sakura is done caring for others. She is done with Konoha. She is so done. Sakura embraces chaos and her own power.With all her knowledge of the future, Sakura searches for her own path in life. Fuck Naruto and his quest. Fuck Sasuke and his revenge. Fuck Kakashi and his PTSD.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura & Hidan, Haruno Sakura & Orochimaru, Haruno Sakura/Hidan, Haruno Sakura/Orochimaru, Konan/Nagato | Pain, Uchiha Sasuke/Yakushi Kabuto
Series: Second Chances [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2181123
Comments: 3408
Kudos: 2698
Collections: Naruto Wonderland, Naruto bests, Real Good Shit, SmartSakura





	1. The End

**Author's Note:**

> Please take note of the tags. Triggering subjects will be described in detail, so read with caution.

“Aren’t you a bit too young to be using Tsunade’s aging technique, Ssssakura?”

“Shut it, Orochimaru,” she responded playfully, but there was no bite to her words like usual. Sakura was just not into that today. She was so tired of acting her usual sassy self.

“Mmmm. So how may I be of service?” snake sannin eyed her carefully. Damn man always saw right through her act, but thankfully Sasuke served as a perfect cover to her actual problems. With the only mention of Uchiha, even a genius sannin would be distracted from the plain civilian like Sakura. 

“Here, have a blast,” Sakura replied after placing a vial with dark emerald liquid on the table in front of the man. His eyebrow rose in a questioning manner, but he took the bait and reached for the vial.

Carefully he turned it in front of the light, took a couple of sniffs. His eyes widened slightly as he looked back at Sakura.

“Is this…?” he carefully asked, taking a microscope from the drawer. 

“Mmmhmm,” Sakura grinned as she looked around the lab.

“Why?” Orachimaru deadpanned watching Sakura even more carefully. “Why would _you_ give _me_ Tsunade's original and personal poison to dissect?”

”Who knows?” she shrugged in a nonchalant manner that irked sannin beyond reason.

“You would know,” he scoffed.

“Consider this a… thank you. You know, for your good behavior and work you’re doing for Konoha,” she talked casually as the words came to her mind on the fly. Maybe she should have prepared more before coming here.

“Riiight,” he wasn’t buying it, but Sakura was not concerned. Orochimaru did help them a lot after the war ended. So this was not too far from the truth.

“Orochimaru, how did it feel to die?” she asked with the same casual tone as her hand went over spines of carefully aligned books on a shelf. She felt his gaze on the back of her neck.

“Oh? Numb would be a word I would use. Are you finally using your skills to actually achieve something?” the mirth was thick in his voice, he grinned with excitement. He probably honestly wondered if a straight-laced student of Tsunade had fallen into the darkness of forbidden techniques.

“Something like that,” Sakura shrugged. 

Orochimaru was about to ask something more, but Sakura stopped the man in his tracks with a hug. In his mind, sannin tried to break this genjutsu. _Hm, it was not a vision it seems_.

“Oh, relax and take it. This is a once in a lifetime occurrence. I am really glad that you are here to help Konoha,” Sakura said to his ear. Half of it was true, half of it was a lie. Orochimaru was confused. When was the last time someone hugged him? Years? Decades even?

“Sssakura, you are making me concerned. Have you suffered a head injury recently?”

“Nop. I am just tired…” was the last thing Sakura said to him before taking her leave. Orochimaru stared at her back without blinking. His interest was piqued.

Sakura was actually exhausted and it felt surprisingly good to say out loud something she wanted to voice for ages. Why did she talk with the snake of all people? Well, even if he would suspect anything, no one would believe him. Besides, Orochimaru would have to care in the first place to tell anyone about what just happened.

The girl, no, woman, she was a woman now, head back to the village with a calm mind. She made her resolve. Letters were written and left where they would be found. Her house was cleaned. Sarada was a genin, so she was considered an adult now. Her baby was on a week-long mission somewhere in the land of rain.

There was nothing else she had to do.

Sakura was ready to die.

━━━━━━━━━━

Numbness, huh? Was the man so used to death that he no longer felt anything? Because ‘numb’ was not the word Sakura would use. Oh no. What she felt was a sharp pain as her organs started to shut down from lack of blood. Everything felt cold. She had to force her chakra down, so it wouldn’t heal her automatically.

The pain started drifting away. No, wait, it was her who was drifting away to the darkness. About fuckin time, she thought embracing Shinigami.

_Take me. TAKE ME. Let me fuckin’ die already!_

Gods really must hate her as they were taking their sweet time. What was it? Her 7th attempt now? She hadn’t tried since she became Tsunade’s apprentice. There was no one to save her this time. Sakura made sure of it.

All alone in the living room of her home, she sat on a chair eyes closed while her blood pooled down on the floor. 

10 minutes. 10 minutes of pain. 10 minutes of self-control. 10 minutes of refusing to heal. 

It took 10 minutes for Sakura Haruno to end her life.

━━━━━━━━━━


	2. The Good Girl

_Finally_ she thought with a relief and exhaled. **EXHALED**. Sakura’s eyes flew open as she jerked awake in her bed. Frantically looking around she started to panic. What was this place? Was afterlife a childish bedroom?

With a couple of blinks adjusting to the darkness of the night, Sakura realized where exactly she was. It was _her_ childhood bedroom. A confirmation, that yes, this was indeed hell. 

“Mmm, Akuma-sama? What happens now?” she asked into the darkness, but no devil answered her. Sakura noticed how frail and high her voice was.

Maybe this was genjutsu? _KAI! KAI!_ No, it was not. 

Surprisingly, Sakura still felt chakra under her skin. Could she use ninjutsu in hell? How strange. She was sure she was dead and yet her breathing was so realistic! The rational part of her mind did what it did best - analyzed the situation. Yes, this could be hell, but it also could be something else. What else?

_Hell_  
_~~Genjutsu~~ (infinite tsukuyomi?)_  
_Mind transfer_  
_Soul transfer_  
_Reanimation jutsu_  
_Rebirth_  
_Reincarnation_  
_Time travel_  
_Alternative dimension_

Alright, so it was definitely not a genjutsu unless it’s something ridiculous like infinite tsukuyomi. Sakura was pretty sure it wasn’t. Because... Well... She felt it? She had already experienced tsukuyomi once and this was nothing like it.

Looking around, Sakura took note that there were no other people in the near vicinity. Even with her abysmal chakra level, she felt only two other living beings in her home… So not a reanimation either.

There was one last thing she had to check. She was pretty sure of what she will find, but nether the less, Sakura got out of her bed. Instantly she fell over as her legs turned out to be smaller than she expected. WAY smaller. 

Not a single shred of dignity in sight, Sakura crawled on all fours to a floor-length mirror. Her biggest fear was confirmed. She was not in someone else’s body. She was definitely Sakura Haruno, pink hair and all. Green eyes. Fuck. This just proved that it could not be some mind transfer or soul transfer to another body. Even reincarnation to the same body would not work. 

In her mind-list, only a few options were left. Logically, if this was some kind of time travel jutsu, her body would not be altered - she would be the same age, not a toddler! At least that is what Naruto once shared when he finally admitted to meeting his father and future son.

An alternative dimension would also stay an option until she can confirm 100% that everything works here the same as in the life she lived. The life she already lived. Her _past_ life. It sure is looking more and more like a case of rebirth. Or hell. But honestly, her past life was already pretty much hell, so what’s the difference?

Sakura let out a tiny sigh and crawled back to bed. Her head was in pain from intense calculations and considerations. She might as well worry about it in the morning. And if all else fails, she can just kill herself again. At least one good thing about losing the will to live.

━━━━━━━━━━

The next day Sakura learned a couple of things.

First, her parents were identical to the ones she remembered from her past life. From their looks to their personalities, unfortunately. 

Second, she remembered everything from the past (future?), but her body had no physical memory of it. Worse than that, her chakra yet again was tragically small. Her fingers were small. Her muscles were nonexistent. Fuck. Will have to build everything from zero.

Third, Sakura Haruno was now four years old, and if it all really goes as she remembers, in exactly one year her psyche will crack creating ‘inner’.

━━━━━━━━━━

Four-year-old Sakura Haruno was a quiet child. She would cry for hours at night and sleep through the day. If she was older, people would say she was depressed. But Sakura was a toddler, so no one took her antics seriously.

_‘She’s just scared of the dark…’_

_‘She just has good manners…’_

_‘She is just very shy…’_

Sakura was depressed. After realizing that her suicide failed or backfired with the tradition Team 7 fashion, she practically shut down. For a whole year, she wallowed in self-pity. In agony over her destiny.

_WHY? WHY? WHY?_

Why did she have to relive her life? Why couldn’t she rest in peace? Why did she have to relive _this_ part? What was she supposed to do?

That one year Sakura rethought her past life. Everything that happened. People that eventually called themselves her friends. They knew nothing of her pain… Konoha was rotten from the core. People in the village were the cause of her pain.

Friends? Ha. Ino was a rival, just another entitled clan kid. Naruto, dear old everyone’s-friend Naruto. Yet he did not hesitate to abandon her in search of his power. He never noticed her pain, too engulfed in the rivalry with Sasuke.

Sasuke… till the very end he was a tool for her. At first, it was easy to blend in by pretending that Sakura, like any other girl, wanted his attention. Then she could pretend that her tears were caused by his defection. And then… well he made it easy on her by never actually staying in the village. A perfect tool to deflect any suspicion.

Belittled and disregarded by everyone, Sakura was always the useless one. _Pathetic_. She will never forget Sasuke’s words. Ever. She was trash. She was unlovable. She was stupid. She was weak. She was no one. She was ugly. She was **pathetic**.

Friends… did she even have friends? Probably not. Nobody came to mind. She had teachers. A teacher who labeled her a weak girl in the Academy. A teacher who abandoned her while she was a genin. But there was one last teacher, who actually mattered…

Tsunade. Sakura never recovered from her death. It was like a last invisible senbon stabbing her to the back. Shizune tried her best to help, but she could not replace Tsunade. Shizune also _knew_ about Sakuras _issues_ , but it didn’t matter. Sakura was left completely alone. Just like she was before meeting Tsunade.

━━━━━━━━━━

So finally, _that_ day came. How could she remember what day _it_ happened? It was her father’s birthday. Sakura was five years and four months old. She laid in her bed, eyes wide open as she stared into the moon outside her window.

Slowly the door to her bedroom opened and then closed. Heavy steps got closer to her bed. She gulped holding her breath. A big hand brushed over her long pastel pink hair.

“Maaa, what beautiful hair you have, princess,” voice was hoarse and scratchy. There was a heavy smell of alcohol fanning over her neck. Sakura said nothing as a shiver rattled her body.

The man pushed down her covers. She was frozen in place, like a deer caught in headlights. Kami, she knew what will happen next. She knew a year ago, but yet here she is. Still weak and pathetic. Still unable to defend herself.

Everything happened just like she remembered. Almost everything. This time she didn’t cry. No, she didn’t make a single sound while she endured the foul touches on her skin.

“What a _good_ girl,” he whispered to her ear in between grunts.

Yes, that she was. She was always _the_ good girl. She followed orders. Obeyed her parents. Took care of her ‘friends’. She was polite. She wanted to be loved. She wanted to be cared for. She wanted to matter. In the end, she was just a shadow in someone else’s story.

Sakura blinked as the sun harshly peeked through her window. _Was it already morning?_ At some time during the night, she spaced out. A self-defense mechanism of her mind. It only happened a few times before in her past life when enemy nin tortured her.

A shiver went down her whole body. There was a lingering stench of alcohol all around her. Sakura wanted to puke. Slowly she got out of bed. Her legs were shaking. Each step was painful. Her eyes fell on the mirror… big mistake. What looked back at her was a _pathetic_ excuse for a human being.

Her long hair was messy. Stupid hair. She wanted to yell. Sakura was enraged with herself. Kami, she was not a kid anymore! At least mentally. But she still allowed the events to repeat themself. Suddenly she couldn’t look at herself anymore. The sight of her face made her feel sick.

Sakura grabbed her hairbrush and flung it to the mirror with all the force her five-year-old body had. To be fair, she was not that weak. The mirror cracked from impact, with only a couple of glass shards falling to the ground.

Breathing deeply Sakura grabbed scissors from her table. Fuck her hair! It caused trouble all her life! SNIP. SNIP. SNIP. Long strands of pink fell to the floor around her bare feet.

This was definitely a deviation from her past. Fuck the past! Sakura was done with being weak. She was done being the pathetic Sakura Haruno with no goals in life. If this was her second chance to live, she will do what the fuck **she** wanted.

_Fuck everyone! FUCK HER IGNORANT PARENTS! FUCK SASUKE AND HIS VENGEANCE! FUCK NARUTO AND HIS QUEST! FUCK KAKASHI AND HIS PTSD!_

Breathing deeply she finished with the impromptu haircut. Pink hair was left only a couple of inches long. A weight was lifted from her shoulders. Her tiny body still shook from whatever turmoil brew under her skin. There were tracks of tears on her cheeks. When did she start crying?

After a couple of moments, she went to the shower. Freezing water felt good to her skin. Like a robot, she washed herself trying to ignore bruises on her legs. Afterward, Sakura stood before her wardrobe full of colorful dresses. This is what _good_ girls were supposed to wear. Sakura did not want to be in a dress. She did not want to show her skin. She wanted to feel safe again.

After short deliberation and extensive rummaging, she picked out a dark burgundy turtle neck and long baggy pants in the shade of charcoal. And boots to finish the ‘look’.

━━━━━━━━━━

With no surprise to Sakura, her ‘dear’ mother practically got a heart attack after seeing how Sakura ‘butchered’ her hair.

“STUPID CHILD! WHAT DID YOU DO????” she yelled at Sakura, while the said child just looked at the ground not phased at all.

“YOU LOOK LIKE A BOY!” she yelled and yelled until her voice became hoars. At some point, silence fell to the room. Sakura lifted her eyes to see that her father had returned home. He was silent. He walked slowly to Sakura.

“What. Did. You. Do. Brat.” he said slowly, his face blank. Sakura was still silent but avoided his eyes. Suddenly Kizashi grabbed her short hair and tilted her head to face his eyes.

“You had such pretty hair…”

Sakura was silent.

Kizashi finally lost his patience. He let go of Sakura’s hair and backhanded to her chin with a force that easily pushed her to the ground. Well, this also was something new. Sakura blinked in surprise. Her father never hit her in her past life. He did something worse, yes, but never this.

Honestly, feeling stinging pain on her face was better than what happened yesterday. She was fine with it. The pain she could endure.

That is exactly what she did for a whole week. Kizashi would get drunk and beat her like she was a ragdoll. He would curse her with all the words in the book. Mebuki ignored her completely. Her own mother closed a blind eye on what was happening to her daughter. Well, that’s not something new to Sakura. Mebuki did exactly the same thing the first time around.

━━━━━━━━━━

Back in her room, Sakura laid on the bed wincing with every move. Yeah, the beating was not as bad, but it still hurt like a bitch and left marks too… She had to learn to heal again. Until then, she will have to make due with clothing to hide the bruises.

The next morning Sakura woke up at dawn. She managed to steal some money from her mother’s bag and left. After last week’s yelling fest, Mebuki stopped paying any attention to Sakura, so she could leave the house any time she wanted without consequences. Well, she would get a beating either way, so might as well do something to deserve it.

In the city, Sakura easily found the shop she was looking for - shinobi gear. Maybe she didn’t have any goals yet, but Sakura knew she was a shinobi no matter what life she lived. Now or in the past, she always felt like a ninja. 

This time around, Sakura decided to train like she once trained with Tsunade from the start. There were endless possibilities, endless ninjutsu to try. She wanted to find her strengths. She wanted to find herself.

In the store, Sakura got herself a mask before anything else. The same mask Kakashi hid behind. It was still hard to look at her own reflections and she finally understood why her teacher wore it. Shame. The reflection of a pathetic weakling will be hidden behind a mask… She will hide her face from the world until she is ready.

Then she got a couple of black turtle neck shirts with and without sleeves. Dark pants to match and shinobi style shoes. Every item of clothing was baggy to hide her form. It made her feel safe. Safe-er.

Finally, she got some bandages to bind her ankles, wrists, and chest. That was all she could afford for now. Next time Sakura decided to get some actual equipment like a weapons pouch, some kunais. Maybe a katana as well at some point. 

Dressed up with her new attire and short hair Sakura finally felt like a new person and not the pathetic Haruno she once was. The mask hid half of her face, leaving only blank emerald eyes to show her emotions. That she could handle.

“Boy! Out of the way!” some merchant yelled. Sakura had to take a double-take until she understood that the merchant was talking to her. She was blocking the door to his store.

“Sorry…” she whispered moving away. _Huh, did she actually look like a boy?_ Curiously Sakura analyzed her reflection in one of the store windows. _A boy, huh?_ No one questions a boy in the shinobi world. They are always taken seriously. They are actually trained. With bitterness, she recalled all those times she was considered weak just because she was a girl.

━━━━━━━━━━

One late evening in Haruno household just after dinner Sakura was about to retire upstairs when the voice of her father stopped her.

“Brat, bring me sake,” Kizashi ordered her. Sakura obeyed. Yes, she cut her hair. Yes, she hid her body behind fabric. But for some reason, she still could not say anything back to her parents. She could not fight back. They were still her flesh and blood…

Dutifully she brought the bottle her father requested. Before she could slip away back to her room, Kizashi grabbed her wrist and twisted so she would fall down on her knees.

“If you wanna look like a boy, I am gonna treat you like one, you little shit. You should have never touched your hair, Sa-ku-ra,” with each syllable he twisted her hand more and more. Her facial expression thankfully was hidden behind the mask, only her eyes betrayed the pain she was in.

“Saku. My name is Saku now,” she hissed out with a blank mind. Why did she say it? Honestly, her actual name ‘Sakura’ just had too many bad memories to it. Each time it was spoken, especially by Kizashi, it reminded of the dark nights in her bedroom. Reminded her of how she was disrespected by every single person in her life.

That is how Sakura Haruno hid behind a mask of a young boy Saku Haruno.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is how I imagine Sakura looks like with short hair - basically a pink-haired Levi :D  
>   
> (No idea who to credit for the art. This is where I found it tho: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/859413541363366362/?nic_v2=1a42etSMQ )
> 
> P.S. Sakura has no issue with her gender. Pretending to be a boy is only a coping/self-defense mechanism. Also a statement to how unfairly females are treated in shinobi world. Right from the start they are considered weak ones that have to be protected. Well Sakura is having none of that!


	3. Ignorance is Bliss

By age six, Sakura had broken at least six of her ribs, fractured her jaw, and broke her arm in at least three places. She got into a routine of only sleeping at her home. She would wake up before sunrise. Stealthily she would take some food and leave.

Morning would be spent training in a forest outside a view of any prying eyes. Sakura worked hard to regain her muscles. She wanted to be faster, stronger, _better_. Tsunade’s words echoed in her mind, as she tried to dodge imaginary hits. Sakura would fall. Then she would stand up and train even harder.

From lunch to evening she would be in the library. Yes, most books she already read in the past, but there was still so much more she had never considered trying. Ninjutsu she thought too good for her. Fuinjutsu she never even attempted. Sensory skills she never considered. 

Like a sponge, she once again embraced her skills in collecting information. In this life Sakura was determined to actually give a try at some elemental ninjutsu. Water and Earth will bend to her will when she’s done with it!

When the library closed, Sakura would return to the forest and practice healing. Her chakra control got better every day, but medical techniques required more chakra than she had. Sakura considered developing her Yin Seal again.

So the evening would be ended with meditation. Honestly, Sakura was shocked by how much her chakra levels and control improved after she meditated. The second time in her life it was much easier to collect chakra for the seal. The only difference was, that this time Sakura collected chakra to a little spot behind her ear. She could not just walk around the city with Tsunade’s trademark on her forehead. 

If only she had done it in the past... Instead, when she was six, Sakura cared about her looks more than anything else. Looks were the only thing she had. Her pretty hair… Even thinking about it a shiver went down her spine. 

After meditation, she reluctantly would come back home. Sakura avoided the whole first floor of her home and snuck in through the window of her bedroom. Most days everything went exactly like that, but sometimes…

“There you are,” her father growled as he grabbed her arm. Kizashi was waiting for her. Sakura said nothing relaxing her body. When a body is relaxed, like when one is drunk, it damages less… Her father pushed Sakura to the wall, hand tightly clenched on her throat over the turtle neck. 

“What? Nothing to say again?” Kizashi taunted her squeezing harder. This was his favorite thing to do. He loved how her eyes became bloodshot the more he choked.

Sakura didn’t struggle. Her mind was dizzy, but with help of chakra, she managed to stay awake and circulate oxygen where it was needed. 

“Chm. Worthless,” he finally said dropping her on the floor. With a slight bobble to his walk, obviously drunk, he left her room. Sakura panted on the floor. Hands shaking she pulled her mask down to get more air into her lungs.

Shortly, her palm started to glow green and Sakura healed herself. Thank Kami for medical ninjutsu and her perfect chakra control. If not for it, Sakura probably would have killed herself again. She still considered the option from time to time, but there was no rush. She was actually curious to see how the academy will be for her in a boy’s shoes.

━━━━━━━━━━

During the next year, Sakura devised a plan. Her parents did not care much about her decision to become Saku. They didn’t care how she dressed. They didn’t care about anything she did. Even whether she was alive or dead. The only issue would arise in getting their signature for the academy application.

Then there were public records she had to ‘fix’. The ones in the library were an easy target. The ones in the hospital took time to even find. Eventually, when Sakura finally managed to relearn chakra suppression again, she tested out the skill by infiltrating the Konoha General records room.

Her steps were silent, her chakra mimicked one of a fly. Infiltration was a success. ‘Sakura’ shortly was changed to ‘Saku’. The small letter ‘F’ was changed to an ‘M’. Easy. Too easy. Honestly, Konoha always seemed to have security issues.

To celebrate, Sakura tested out another technique she worked on - henge. After transforming into a young adult looking boy she visited a bar. Finally. She missed drinking with her shishou. Sake tasted the same. It numbed her soul for a second. Not a single shinobi questioned this young man by the bar. 

Now, Sakura considered what to do with her parents. She was strong enough to slice their necks and hide their bodies, but still, she could not lift a finger to attack them or at least defend herself. If fighting was out of the question, the only other option she could think of was genjutsu.

The library was a pretty good source, so Sakura spent the rest of the year in research. She would even sneak into chunin and jonin sections too. Nobody paid much attention to the ‘quiet bookworm’ after she religiously spent over two years every day buried between dusty shelves.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura was almost eight years old. She was walking across the forest, reluctantly headed to the civilian district. She was just about done preparing her genjutsu. Developing her child-like chakra network was not so easy, but she already could do more than when she finished the academy in the past.

Her steps were silent, chakra cloaked as usual. She wore the mask at all times, baggy clothing blended in with the darkness. Pink hair was kept short with an undercut. Sakura didn’t look around too much lost in her thoughts, but the sound of something moist hitting the ground caught her attention.

Still walking at the same pace, Sakura lifted her eyes. On the right side, she noticed the Uchiha compound wall. _Oh._ Whatever, she shrugged. Damn Uchiha were always causing problems. ALWAYS. She made sure to avoid them this time around and so far she was lucky.

Until today. In the distance, right in front of her, there was one figure on the ground with blood pooling next to it. A meter away stood another figure with a sword piercing the third body. Sakura blinked a couple of times but didn’t stop her stride.

In silence, she passed the scene as if a bloody murder wasn’t taking place right by the Uchiha gates. Sakura was calm, her heartbeat steady, she was not bothered. Why should she care about Uchiha and their massacre? _Good riddance_ , she considered making another step forward.

Suddenly a man, (Itachi?) was in front of her, eyes blazing red and sharp tanto pressed to her neck. Sakura barely stopped, the blade cut over her mask and drew a slither of blood.

“Are you gonna kill me or not already?” she asked in a tired tone looking up at his sharingan eyes without any fear. What would he do? Torture her? Life already beat him to it. She had no fear.

“Aren’t you going to report what you just saw?” the boy asked beyond confused. Sakura sighed. So he wasn’t going to kill her. What a shame.

“It’s none of my business what you Uchiha do,” she shrugged. Then, with the uncanny nonchalance for a seven-year-old, she stepped back from the blade and passed the boy again. Not. Her. Problem. Sakura long ago decided to care about herself only.

She left Itachi where he was without another word. He let her go. Sakura sighed again as she crawled into her bedroom through the window. It would be too easy to die by someone else’s hand.

A little mark on her neck was healed, but her turtleneck had a hole now. _Troublesome_ , she sighed again. Sakura quickly changed into her sleeping attire with a fresh mask. Sleep was dark and empty. Decades ago she learned how to shut nightmares away. Fuck nightmares. Also, being completely physically and emotionally exhausted from training helped.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura got out of her home as usual. She had some packed lunch with her for the whole day. Mebuki didn’t say anything about this, not like she even had a chance. Probably the last time Sakura saw her mother was six months ago.

The day was sunny. So typical of Konoha. Sakura reached the academy and hesitated for a moment by the gates. For a while, the girl considered if the academy was good or not. She could always leave the village, considering all the knowledge she had, Sakura was already at least a chunin level.

But something about the academy attracted her. Maybe the nostalgia of times, where she still had hopes and dreams? Maybe the new outlook she had on the whole shinobi world. Fuck it. She could become a missing-nin if she wants to leave. Being an outlaw didn’t sound half as bad.

“Are you lost, pipsqueak?” spoke a bulky man with spiky brown hair. Bekko was his name, Sakura recalled. He was one of chunin teaching here. 

“I need an application for entry to academy,” she spoke calmly. Over these couple of years, Sakura learned how to sound less like a girl. Nobody questions her so far.

Bekko eyed her appearance. He smirked stopping longer at her mask. _Hm, maybe it was odd to see a kid dressed like a shinobi?_ She didn’t linger on the thought, because the man nodded and lead the way inside the building.

“Here you go, kid. Don’t forget to get permission from your parents, yeah?”

“Mhm. Thank you.” She bowed politely and left without a second glance. Sakura barely spoke with anyone these days. Self-isolation gave her peace of mind. She would hear murmurs about herself, but it didn’t bother her. Surprisingly, none of the comments were about her forehead! Ha! Looks like it didn’t matter if a _boy_ had a big forehead.

People would comment on how cute she was with pink hair. Girls would eye her with curiosity. Boys would giggle at her but didn’t actually approach. As if they would even have a chance since she already familiarised herself enough with basic taijutsu.

Her body was not a weak pile of flesh like it was in the past life. She ate well, uncaring about diets. She trained until her hands bleed, uncaring of muscle that formed on her arms and legs. _Fuck what others think_. She was still petite, though.

Back at home, Sakura exhaled before entering. She planned so that only Mebuki was there. And she was. The woman was cooking something in the kitchen.

Sakura approached her with soundless steps. Her tiny hands weaved genjutsu signs. Mebuki didn’t even flinch. 

“Mother, I need your signature,” Sakura said presenting the empty application form with a pen. Mebuki made a nod and placed a signature without question. The genjutsu worked. It made Mebuki feel like she knew exactly what the form was for like she trusted the piece of paper.

Sakura left immediately to her room dispelling the genjutsu on the way. With closed doors, she started to fill in answers to questions. Name, last name, sex, age… Easy as cake. Mission complete.

That night Sakura could rest easy. She would now attend the academy. She would show them her true potential. And she would beat up Sasuke until he… until he… Sakura didn’t actually know what she wanted to accomplish. She will just have to find out as she hits him in the face. With happy thoughts, Sakura fell asleep.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part with Itachi was highly inspired by Craig from South Park Season 12 Episode 10-11.
> 
> Regarding the Yin Seal, it will take some years to develop. Probably will be finished only as Sakura becomes a genin.


	4. The Academy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically a training montage. Sakura levels up massively over the 4-5 years spent in the academy.

The day had come for Sakura to meet her former (future?) friends. For four or five years that she had been back into her childish body, she never once tried to find them. She didn’t seek Sasuke or Naruto out. Nor Ino. Honestly, she avoided them. Partially it was of guilt and partially rage.

She could have helped Naruto while he spent his days all alone. She could have helped Sasuke to get his head out of his ass, no matter how impossible of a mission it would be. Or at least console him after the massacre, which she also could have tried to prevent. Sakura was the worst. She was dead weight. She was still pathetic… 

No. This time her world will not turn around them! Long ago she decided to find her own way wherever it will lead. Last time, she made the mistake of following Ino as if she was some north star. Ino. Ino did not hesitate to forget about her when Sasuke came into the picture. Shallow. No true friend would do that…

So yeah, Sakura really had no reason to seek out her so-called ‘friends’. Instead of making the same mistakes, she trained alone. She read books alone. Sakura carefully crafted an image of a lone civilian bookworm. Kami forbid, she would get on Danzo's radar as some ‘prodigy’.

Slowly her body was catching up to the skills she had knowledge of. Sakura also wanted to come up with her own fighting style and that required even more practice. She really didn’t have to be a mini-Tsunade this time around. No matter how strong she was, she would still be shoved away from a battle because of her medical knowledge. Being a medic-nin sucked! Never again.

Plain and quiet Sakura blended into the crowd. Hands in the pockets of her dark baggy pants. Mask covering half of her face. Pink hair still pretty short but with an undercut. Couple strands fell into her face, but Sakura paid them no mind.

Sakura also made sure to mask most of her chakra. Developing it for the last few years showed more than she would like. No, she had to stay in the shadow. Unnoticed. _Just let me be_ she begged skillfully maneuvering any girls that even looked her way.

The universe was not smiling at her. Sakura found herself in the same class as the first time around alongside other members of the ‘rookie 9’. This time, Sakura sat in the very back of the class. Leisurely she let her head rest on folded arms as she napped. Somehow, Shikamaru ended up sitting next to her and well, joining into her nap.

“You, in the back, it's your turn to introduce yourself,” Iruka-sensei woke her up. She didn’t flinch. Slowly, Sakura stood up and raised a single hand.

“Yo. Saku Haruno. I like umeboshi. I dislike anything spicy,” short and sweet she introduced and sat back down prepared to continue the nap. She might just extend her evening training sessions if she will be able to catch up with sleep during the day. Perfect plan.

A whisper went down the class as she spoke. Girls giggled. Boyes eyed her curiously. Even Sasuke gave her a glare. _What was his problem? That stuck up little…_ Sakura sighed and closed her eyes again. Fuck them all with a blunt kunai. She could not be bothered to care.

━━━━━━━━━━

Iruka tried his best. He really did. But anything he would ask Sakura, he would get a perfect answer in return. Eventually, he stopped asking and left two sleeping ‘beauties’ of his class alone. As long as they knew the material and performed well during tests, there was really no harm in taking it easy in class.

Sakura knew the fuckin material. She would die of boredom if she would have to listen to it all for the second time. Meanwhile, Shikamaru started to appear by her side in every lesson. Maybe he liked how silent she was? Or maybe he liked to have someone to write answers off during tests? Meh, she didn't mind him. Eventually, Sakura herself walked in his direction.

“Yo,” she greeted Nara flopping by his side.

“Morning Saku,” he yawned.

“Good morning, Haruno-san,” Choji squeaked from the other side of Shikamaru.

“Just Saku, Choji,” Sakura also yawned resting her chin on the desk.

“Class! Today we will have a small sparring competition,” Iruka announced. Somewhere in the distance, Sakura heard Naruto's shout of excitement, when it hit her. Right, she will spar with boys! Suddenly, far more awake, she perked up.

Surprisingly, no one ever asked if she was a boy or a girl. They all just _assumed_ she was a boy! _And this was the future of the shinobi world. Wow…_ Probably if she said she was a pink zebra, they would take her word for it too.

Anyhow, Sakura stood in line waiting for her turn. Sages were smiling at her yet again as she stepped in front of Sasuke of all people! She grinned under her mask. Slowly she fell into a fighting stance. Sakura didn’t use her chakra enhanced moves, only plain ol’ taijutsu. 

“Saku Haruno wins!” Iruka announced as she smacked the black-haired boy to the dusty ground. Inwardly she pumped her fist in the air, but outside there was not a single reaction. Hands back in her pockets, Sakura returned to the group.

“Damn, Saku, Uchiha might curse you with that stare he’s giving you,” Shikamaru poked her to the ribs. Sakura didn’t bother to follow his gaze and simply shrugged her shoulders. 

At that moment she didn’t yet know that maybe Shikamaru was a seer or something. Maybe Sasuke did curse her. Sakura let herself fall into her idle routine. Feeling safe and relaxed for once, but not for long.

━━━━━━━━━━

“So, brat, you joined the academy?” a voice behind Sakura made her freeze mid-step. She was almost by her house when her father approached Sakura from behind. Slowly she turned around.

“When were you planning on sharing that?” he growled grabbing her by the wrist. She stayed silent. He didn’t really give her time to answer anyways as he dragged her back home.

The door closed behind their backs, Kizashi replaced her wrist with a fistful of her hair. Forcefully he dragged her up to her room.

“You dare to go over my head and be a ninja now? Huh?” he dropped her to the ground with force.

“You wanna die?” he talked slowly as his hand inched to unbuckle his belt.

“You die when I tell you to,” Kizashi's voice was cold. Sakura could only hear how the belt slid out of loop after loop and then its tip dropped to the ground. For some reason, she stayed frozen in place, paralyzed. 

As the first lash made contact with her back, Sakura’s mind went blank. She only regained any sense of direction, when her room was engulfed by darkness. She was alone sprawled across the floor. She tried to move and winced from the pain.

Inhale. Exhale. Slowly she tried to move only her hand instead. There was something sticky under her fingertips. She touched the substance. It glimmered black in the moonlight. Blood. Sakura inhaled deeply and pulled herself up from the blood pool she lied in. 

The sharp pain made her body shake. She saw white. But somehow she managed not to faint. Slowly Sakura touched around to find where exactly she was injured this time. There was so much blood… Ah, her back. She felt deep cuts made all across her back. Probably left there because of the buckle of the belt. 

It took Sakura a couple of hours to heal. Even then deep scars were left. She panted for air as her hands stopped glowing. Medical ninjutsu took everything from her.

Needless to say, the next day Sakura skipped academy. After cleaning blood from the floor for the rest of the night, Sakura could not even pretend to be a regular child. Instead, she resided in the forest, resting on a branch as she tried to sleep off her fatigue.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Haruno, where were you yesterday?” Iruka stopped her before she had a chance to sneak into the classroom the next day.

“Well, this old lady asked to help her with groceries, so I just could not leave her alone,” without losing a beat she gave one of Kakashi’s trademark excuses. Ha, maybe she did learn a thing or two from the man.

Iruka blinked dumbfounded. It was clear to everyone involved, that this was a blatant lie. Yet, Sakura shrugged and left the scene to continue her nap. Iruka blinked furiously lost for words. Honestly, he was actually considering if maybe Kakashi Hatake finally had a child he was not aware of… or died on a mission and reincarnated into Saku. 

Eventually, sensei gave up on making sense of this child. A class full of knuckleheads waited for no shinobi.

━━━━━━━━━━

It was safe to say that Sakura didn’t learn anything new in the academy. Instead, she focused on training after school. Luckily her chakra nature has not changed - still water and earth as before. Previously she focused on earth, but it turned out to be less useful in actual battle.

“Water it is,” she muttered while stretching. Unlike earth, water could be found anywhere. There would always be a river, a lake, a puddle to take advantage of. Looking around her favorite forest clearing Sakura realized, that there was actually none of those around.

“Huh, so maybe it isn’t everywhere…” she looked around again and sat down on lush grass. Her fingers weaved between it slowly as her mind worked. She plucked some of it and squeezed with anger. Why couldn’t she have air nature?

The grass felt icky. It was wet. Wet. Wet!

“Wait a sage minute!” she quickly stood up looking around from a new perspective. Everything and anything that was alive had water in it! The possibilities were endless! She could just gather water from her surroundings!

None of the scrolls or books even mention such techniques. Sakura was positively charged to create one. So for the whole year, she did just that. It turned out to be harder done than said. But Sakura was too stubborn to fail. No, she practiced until her hands could collect water from plants.

She gathered water on the tips of her fingers, leaving the grass and leaves dead dry. Then she honed the substance into a senbon like shape. Last step was to actually use it as a _senbon_. Easy, compared to the gathering part. 

Sakura was happy with her progress. She now had her own personal _original_ water technique. So she laid on the grass with a smile hidden behind her mask.

“Why are you so happy, Saku? It’s weirding me out,” Shikamaru asked laying next to her. They were watching clouds together. Well, mostly sleeping, to be honest, but clouds were there.

“It’s not weird at all. I am happy all the time, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she shrugged.

“Yeah, riiight,” Shikamaru scoffed at her.

“Mhm. Why are you always watching clouds anyways’, Shika?”

“Sometimes I wish I was a cloud... Just floating along, going wherever the breeze takes me.”

“A cloud, huh? Why not a tree or something?”

“Dunno. Clouds are free. They just form anywhere in the sky and wind takes them without the cloud actually having to do anything.”

“Pff. I heard there are no clouds in Suna.”

“Well yeah, there is barely any water for them to form in that heat,” Shikamaru was almost insulted by her statement.

“...”

“...”

Suddenly Sakura sat up as if lightning had just hit her head.

“Shika! I love you!”

“Sorry, I’m not into that, Saku.”

“Idiot,” Sakura actually grinned. She could really kiss the guy now. Of course, clouds didn’t form in Suna. Clouds needed water! Clouds were made of water! There was water in the air!! The next step of her training took shape. She will gather water from thin air and will be unbeatable. Sakura had to try hard to suppress a manic laugh, that was about to bubble into existence.

━━━━━━━━━━

Two years. It took Sakura two years of chakra control. Two long years of sensing her surroundings. Two years to materialize water from the air on the palm of her hand. After that, everything fell into place like a puzzle.

She could sense water everywhere! In plants, in the ground, in the air. Sakura started practicing her sensory abilities even during class. That is when she noticed water in a place she didn’t think about before… her classmates. Shinobi. People. The human body was made of water. _Why didn’t I think of it right away?_ She belittled herself for being so absent-minded.

But she couldn’t just kill people, to use the water as a weapon… Well, enemy nin didn’t count. But still, how could she practice without having any enemy nin around? What was the closest thing to a human substitute? Clone? Maybe that could work.

Sakura recalled her medical training. She didn’t start practicing on actual patients for a long while too. Instead, she healed… fish! Animal! _Duh!!_ Sakura almost facepalmed herself and relaxed in her seat. Animals. 

There was about to be a small extinction in Konoha, she grinned planning her hunt after lessons end.

“Saku-kun! Wanna grab lunch?” Ino suddenly appeared behind her as the bell rang. She was sickly sweet and made Sakura realize just how grossed out Sasuke probably was by this kind of attention in her past life.

“Maa, sorry, Ino-san, there is this kitten I have to help out of a tree, bye,” Saku quickly disappeared without leaving a trace. Ino scoffed crossing her arms.

“WHAT? Again? I swear, I will break Saku one day!” she vowed as Shikamaru stretched next to her.

“Good luck, blondie. He will never fall for your sweet act,” he remarked and regretted right away as now Ino glared at him with light killing intent.

“OH? So why don’t you help me, Nara? I will ask Shikaku-sama to force you if I have to!”

“Troublesome…” he muttered.

Meanwhile, Sakura was in a forest hunting her 'kitten'. Well actually, she was looking for any being. A rabbit became her practice target.

After a while, it turned out that manipulating a moving target was far more difficult, even if she felt the water under its skin.

━━━━━━━━━━

Experimenting with animals Sakura learned a lot.

First, the blood contained water.

Second, even a dead animal still had blood in it. 

Third, manipulating blood was deadly.

At first, Sakura could only do any kind of manipulation after touching her target. One-touch and she would make the blood clog. Would make it stop flowing. Would extract it through the skin (fur?). The next step on her mind was to use this blood manipulation technique from distance. 

Ketsukeki no jutsu was how she named it. Blood jutsu. She started training by simply gathering water from plants inches away from her hand. Slowly she increased the distance. One meter. Two meters. Three. Four. Her limit became ten meters. Not bad.

As she felt more comfortable, Sakura proceeded on to moving targets. Birds, rabbits, snakes. It was exhilarating to see them plop on the ground, while Sakura stood motionless meters away. A menacing grin took place on her lips.

This technique didn’t even require much chakra! Kami, why didn’t anyone think of it before? She couldn’t understand how shinobi limited themselves with dumb rules and followed established techniques like sheep. She was no sheep. Not anymore.

In combination with her anatomy knowledge, Sakura felt strong. She was sure this could be used in a battle effectively. Maybe she could become an assassin? The thought was thrilling.

But she did not accept that this was her limit. Not even close. Each day she worked to increase her reach. With a snap of her fingertips, blood vessels would rupture. Target was dead with a snap of her fingers! But death was not the end. No.

Sakura decided to hone her skills to perfection, by _not_ killing her target. She could now paralyze. Send an animal to a coma. Disrupt only a particular part of the target. Sakura never felt better as a shinobi.

━━━━━━━━━━

Academy years flew by. Sakura didn’t even notice how the last month in the academy came along. Kami, she was so focused on her after-class training, she didn’t even register that exams were scheduled for next week. 

Suddenly she started to consider if she actually should go through with them. After becoming a genin she could not go back. She would not be allowed to leave Konoha so easily. On the other hand, she would be considered an adult… Then again, she would have to start working with a team.

Team. Team 7. Will she be placed in the same team again? Sakura was a tad curious to find that out. 

“Saku Haruno, passed!” Iruka-sensei announced. She blinked a couple of times looking around. There was a clone of her standing by her side. Well shit. Now she could not go back. She was officially a genin.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Ketsukeki no jutsu is a reference to water bending from AtLA. And no, this would not be a forbidden technique, because it does not cause harm to the user; it does not mess with the dead (laws of nature); it does not cause massive collateral damage.


	5. Deja vu

Sakura Haruno was dead, but life in Konoha continued as no one was yet aware of her departure. Shinobi left the village on their missions. Naruto looked over reports in the Hokage tower as it was his duty. The day was clear and calm. Too calm.

Somewhere far away from Konoha, Orochimaru sighed rubbing his eyes. The poison graciously provided by Sakura was extraordinary. He still couldn’t understand her reasoning, but it didn’t matter too much as long as he could do his thing.

Tired from the work he did all night, Orochimaru stretched. He reached a metaphorical wall in his research.

“I need a reference,” he hissed unhappy that there was a lack of knowledge in his mind. Slowly he rummaged over the books until he found the right one.

Sannin eagerly flipped over the pages, when his fingers caught on something that was out of place. There was a white envelope in between the pages.

“Hmmm, what do we have here?” he muttered flipping the paper with suspicion. There was a single word on the white surface. The letter was addressed to him!

“Hmm, I don’t remember mail being delivered with books,” he mused. Slowly he opened it after making sure there were no ill intentions behind it. No curse seals or poison.

_Orochimaru,_   
_In case I didn’t say this to your face already - thank you. You might wonder, why and I want to answer this for you. First, thank you for attacking Konoha. My parents died during the attack. I was finally freed by your ambition. Second, thank you for taking Sasuke. His departure allowed me to deceive everyone for years! No one thought twice, why I cried. Why I was sad. They all assumed it was because of Sasuke. What he actually was, was a perfect tool. A distraction. Third, thank you for keeping the secret of Sarada’s origin for all these years. This allowed me to avoid any further questions. Thank you for everything. I hope you are happy now. I hope you can live your best life like I never could do myself._

_S.H._

━━━━━━━━━━

A phone rang disrupting the silence. Naruto groaned but picked it up anyway. Not many people had a direct number to Hokage.

“Naruto, here.”

“Narutoooo-kun, you are earrrrly.”

“Orochimaru. What do you want?” the blond asked impatiently. He hoped to hear something good, but sannin never called with good news. Unfortunately.

“Has Sakura-chan returned yet?”

“Hmm? I don’t know, probably,” Naruto reclined in his chair closing his eyes. “Is there something up?”

“Oh, nothing in particularrr. I just need her _help_ with the poison she delivered for me to ressssearch. I have **questionssss** …” snake dragged his words. It probably was hard enough for him to call in the first place to ask for help.

“Sure you do.” Naruto sighed. Inwardly he was amused, that snake sannin had to turn to his dear friend Sakura for help. “Alright. I’ll send someone to get her. She will contact you as soon as she can.”

“Perrrfect. Thank you, _Hokage-sama_ ,” there was something Naruto could not name in the snakes’ voice. Mirth? Excitement? Anxiety? Whatever. He probably was too preoccupied with the poison Sakura gave him. Kami knows what kind of dark ideas this man already had in how the poison could be used.

Knock. Knock. Naruto sighed again as he placed the phone down.

“Enter,” his voice was tired, but still stern.

“Hokage-sama, here is my mission report,” Kakashi stepped in placing a scroll on the pile of documents on his desk. 

“Ah, thank you, Kakashi. Hey, listen, could you do me a favor and stop by Sakura’s? Orochimaru has some trouble with the poison she delivered him for research,” Naruto grinned happily. This way he could actually take care of something right away. There was no doubt in his mind, that sensei will oblige.

“Maaa, Naruto-kun, is that an order? I was about to continue reading my new book,” the man whined playfully.

“ _Please_.”

“Fine fine,” puppy eyes yet had to fail Naruto. With a clear mind, Hokage continued on the paperwork. Kakashi left unaware of what he was about to find.

━━━━━━━━━━

Kakashi didn’t hurry. With a worn-out book in his hand, the man strolled across Konoha. Sakura. His dear student would be a relief for his sore eyes. Without a doubt, she will complain about him avoiding hospital, but that he could bear. Hey, he might get a personal checkup at her home. Two birds with one stone.

He was about to knock on Sakura’s door when something familiar reached his nose. Blood. There was a thick scent of blood in the air. Slowly he put the book away and sniffed. There was only a lingering scent of Sakura and Sarada. And blood.

Kakashi tried the door. It was open. It shouldn’t be open. It was _never_ open. On alert, he stepped inside. There was darkness waiting for him. The scent of blood got stronger. Flashbacks of his father appeared in his mind. 

Legs shaking, the man stepped inside. He froze when his eyes noticed what his mind tried to deny.

“Sakura?” Kakashi’s voice was more like a shaking whisper. He didn’t dare to go any closer. He couldn’t. His beloved student was not responding. His student was dead.

Moves automatic and robotic, made him shunshin directly to Hokages office.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Hashirama’s wood! Kakashi, what the hell?” Naruto startled waving away AMBU, who also appeared after Kakashi’s rude intrusion. As he lifted his eyes to look at his sensei, Naruto’s expression turned to stone. “What’s wrong?” he asked calmly, but urgently.

“Hokage-sama. As you ordered, I went to Sakura Haruno home to deliver the message. When I entered her home, there was blood…” Kakashi didn’t even finish his sentence as Naruto’s eyes widened and he disappeared. Kakashi was left standing in place. He was frozen. He couldn’t go back there.

━━━━━━━━━━

ANBU agents appeared short after Naruto. The blond shook in place as tears rolled down his cheeks. He stood in the puddle of blood. Oh Kami, he could not shake the feeling of her cold skin from his hand.

“FIND WHO DID THIS,” he ordered in his Hokage voice. Operatives hesitated for a moment. Everyone was shocked to find the strongest kunoichi dead in her own home. If a person, that could kill her, was in the village, their security had a serious breach.

━━━━━━━━━━

The days that followed were full of tears. Anger. Denial. Despair. ANBU found no trace of foul play. Sakuras death was ruled a suicide. Naruto could not accept that. Why would his friend ever do such a thing? Sakura was happy! She had a daughter. She had her clinic.

“No no no… why Sakura.. Why…” he muttered, eyes red and already dry as he could not cry anymore. He was looking blankly to the wall of his office. 

“Hokage-sama?” voice from a distance tried to reach him. “Naruto-kun?” He slowly lifted his head to find Shizune.

“Why? Why? Tell me you don’t believe that suicide bullshit, Shizune!” he said in despair searching for someone to believe in him.

“Naruto.. I am so sorry…”

“No! I cannot accept this! Why would she ever do something like that?”

“Naruto…. There is something you have to know about Sakura…” Shizune sat down by his side on the sofa. She didn’t look into his blue eyes. Naruto blinked. He was lost. His mind didn’t understand.

“This… Sakura had tried this before...” Shizune said after a moment had passed. Naruto blinked.

“What?”

“Yes. She was unhappy for a long time. Before we even met. Only after she started training with Tsunade-sama did we both learn about her depression…”

“Depression?” Naruto tilted his head. “No no! She always smiled! She was happy!” he wined shaking his head.

“No, Naruto. She wasn’t. Have you ever seen her medical record?” Naruto shook his head. Slowly Shizune presented him with a file. Still, in disbelief, he opened and read over it.

Sakura Haruno. Attempted suicide age five. Slashed wrists. Attempted suicide age seven. Pills. Attempted suicide age eight. Slashed wrists. Attempted suicide age twelve. Hanging. Attempted suicide age thirteen. Drowning.

Naruto looked at Shizune with wide eyes.

“NO! This has to be a lie!”

“Naruto… trust me. Me and Tsunade were as surprised as you are. But this is the truth. Sakura was a broken girl,” her voice was soft.

“Why… why… I.. I-I never knew…” he sobbed again. Somehow another wave of tears appeared in the corners of his eyes.

“She hid it well. No one knew besides me and Tsunade. There was nothing you could do…”

“Nothing??? How could you say that! I could have… could have done something! Talk with her… help her… but she never said anything to me…” he cried and cried.

━━━━━━━━━━

Kakashi wanted to go on a mission. But Naruto declined any requests. He wanted to run away. But there was nowhere to go. So Kakashi stood before the memorial stone. Shizune had talked with him already. He and Naruto only were ‘graced’ with the truth behind the mystery that was Sakura.

Cheerful and with a smile. Sakura, that cried for them. Sakura, that fought for them. Sakura, that healed them. He never even noticed her pain… Recalling the past with fresh eyes, he didn’t see any signs even now. 

Maybe he was blind. Maybe there was another reason for Sakura’s timid behavior. He regarded her as a regular weak girl… She was anything but weak. 

Kakashi didn’t know what time he went back home. It was already dark. He still blamed himself for his ignorance. In the bedroom, his tired eye was caught on the picture frame. Team 7. They were all doomed from the start. They had no chance with a teacher like him…

Suddenly Kakashi noticed an envelope under the frame. Strange, it wasn’t there the last time he looked. The last time he looked… just before his last mission. With a shaking hand, he reached for the white envelope. Sakuras signature was at the front. His heart clenched.

Even in death, Sakura was caring. She made sure to leave closure for those who did not deserve it in the first place.

_Kakashi-sensei,_   
_there was nothing you could do. I was broken before team seven. I was broken before becoming a shinobi. No amount of attention or training could fix me. You were not alone, who was blind. There were people who failed me. That was before you. Kakashi, there was nothing you could do. I have tried everything I could. With death, I will finally rest. My suffering will end. My body will be free. Live, Kakashi. At least try to live. I could not, but there is still hope for you. Please live without any regrets._

_S.H._

The letter was full of lies, Kakashi knew. Of course, it was his fault. Maybe if he paid more attention, he would have made a difference. Sakura could have been saved, but he… he abandoned her. Kakashi hyperventilated as the sorrow piqued within his soul. Dear Sakura even after death tried to help him. He didn’t deserve it… He left her. **He was scum**.

━━━━━━━━━━


	6. Team Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of this chapter will be graphic and nasty. You have been warned.

With a brand new headband clenched in her hand, Sakura exited the academy. What now? She wondered. Rays of sunshine glimmered from the metal headband right into her eyes. She sighed. Slowly her hands wrapped the headband around her neck. It made her feel safer feeling the metal plate around her neck. It definitely had nothing to do with the light pressure it gave her. Definitely did not remind her of the choking sensation she was already used to. Definitely.

In a month from now, the fresh genin will be sorted in teams. Sakura was pretty sure that Hiruzen was still a sexist old man and would sort at least one girl per team. She scoffed at the thought. That was _not_ fair. That is exactly what happened in her past. That’s how Sakura Haruno ended up in a team full of powerhouses. She didn’t have a chance to succeed with them…

Anyway, there was no point in guessing right now. So Sakura ended up in a forest, perched on a tree branch, eyes closed. She meditated. Her Yin Seal **s** were almost done. Yes, she created not one, but two of them!

Because the seals were not located on the chakra point on her forehead, they were slightly weaker. But two combined were enough. She created a seal behind each of her ears. Another difference was the appearance of the seals. 

Instead of a purple diamond shape, Sakura got two identical triangles of emerald green shade. It matched her eyes. And they were unnoticeable, hidden behind her pink hair. 

She could already tap into chakra sealed within them, but there was at least six more months to go for them to be complete. She was patient tho. She will bide her time until her goals will take shape.

━━━━━━━━━━

A week after the exam, Sakura found herself shifting uncomfortably in front of a photo camera.

“Kid, take off your mask,” the man behind the camera almost begged.

Sakura didn’t move, giving him a deadpanned stare. Ain’t no chance in hell she was taking her mask off. Eventually, the man gave up and snapped the picture. It was added to her record and eventually was presented to her future teacher. 

“Huh, is this a joke, Hokage-sama?” masked man stared at her picture. 

“Not at all. I believe this is… faith,” the old man snickered enjoying the effect his team sorting had. The masked man winced, but this was an order. He will just have to fail the team as he did before with others. But something in his gut gave him the feeling, that the team assigned to him was nothing but trouble.

━━━━━━━━━━

Another week passed with nothing of note. In the third week, Sakura noticed that a pair of eyes were tracking her. _Troublesome_ she thought annoyed. Okey, this was her personal exam. Could her act fool a paranoid jonin?

Step one. Sakura kept to her routine. Training in the morning, but not in the usual depths of the Konoha forest. She also practiced with a clone instead of hunting animals as usual. A year ago she finally got her hands on a used tanto blade, so that is what she practiced with. 

Step two. Sakura religiously continued to spend her afternoons in the library. But she didn’t even try to sneak in the sections she had no right to be in. There was no such thing as being too careful. Although… one day, she did sneak a book from a chunin section. For the hell of it. And partly to show off her sneaking skills. 

Step three. Anti-social outcast probably was not the best image to have, so Sakura made an effort to spend time with Shikamaru. It was a dangerous thread she was walking, because of all people Yamanaka and Nara would be the ones to notice if something was off with her. Either way, she took the challenge head-on.

“So, who do you think will be in your team?” she asked Shikamaru who was lounging by her side on the grass.

“I am pretty sure that from birth I was doomed to be part of Ino–Shika–Cho.”

“Hm?”

“Long story. Basically, our families work well together in a team,” he shrugged and Sakura didn’t push any further. She knew first hand just how effective they were. 

“Hmm… I wonder if that chance for a tried formation won’t place you in a box. You know, constrain you from growing beyond what is expected of you…” she said more to herself.

“It’s an easy way out. I don’t mind it. Besides, I am more curious who will be our sensei,” Shikamaru had no trouble in holding a conversation with her. This was actually pleasant. 

“Yeaaah. I just hope it won’t be some _pervert_ ,” Sakura smirked as she said it, fully aware that one specific pervert was listening in on their conversation.

Step four. Sakura could not allow her stalker to see the dynamics in her home. Madara Uchiha would make love to Senju before she allowed anyone to find out about her family affairs…

So every day returning home, Sakura checked with chakra if _anyone_ was waiting for her in her room. She was clear for a few days. But her luck ran out just before the week ended. She could feel the foul signature of her father waiting in her room. 

_Shit._ Sakura slowed her pace as she considered what to do. Fuck it, the best defense is offense. With that thought, Sakura made a reckless move of shunshining to a branch where a certain masked man was perched.

“Yo. Why are you stalking me, shinobi-san?” she asked bluntly as the man blinked at her. Sakura laughed inside. Kakashi looked exactly as she remembers and oh how adorable he was with the obvious surprise in his sole eye.

“Chem. How did you learn how to do _that_?” he asked after clearing his throat. His eye went into a crinkle indicating a smile. Obviously fake.

“I read a lot. But you probably already noticed that,” she answered nonchalantly.

“That I did. And you should not be reading chunin materials.”

“Well then they should be guarded better,” she shrugged. The epitome of casualness. If he wanted to report her, he could have already done so. There was silence. Then Kakashi laughed rugging the back of his neck.

“Maaa, kid, what’s up with the pink hair?”

“What’s with the silver hair? Shouldn’t you be retired already, shinobi-san?”

“Awww, you hurt me.”

Sakura was not amused. Okay, maybe a little bit. 

“So, am I in trouble or something?”

“Oh not at all, kid. Just keeping peace around the village,” Kakashi shrugged.

“Yeah.. right. Are you some perv that likes to watch kids?” she narrowed her eyes. Kakashi widened his in response. Urgently he extended his hands in defense.

“Wou wou wou! You got it all wrong! I.. well.. Fuck. Damn Hokage-sama...” he muttered with a deep sigh. Sakura prevailed.

“Okey, I won’t tell anyone about your peeping if you stop watching me sleep, deal?” she suggested as if that was the most normal thing to say.

“Deal,” Kakashi exhaled giving up. With a raised hand for goodbye he left. Urgently and without a trace. Sakura was pretty sure he won’t be bothering her again.

On that note, Sakura exhaled with relief. From the looks of it, her mission was a success. How did Konoha hold out for so long if shinobi could be fooled by a kid? Shaking her head, she returned home. Exhaustion crept to her bones. She even forgot about what was waiting for her…

“Well well well… congratulations, little shit, you’re a ninja now,” Kizashi mocked her with a vile smirk. She froze by the window. She could just leap away…

Before Sakura could make that choice, the man was already next to her with his big hand weaving into her hair. He was unusually gentle. A shiver went down her spine.

“You might be taking Hokage’s orders from now on, but don’t ever forget that you belong to me, Sa-ku-ra,” his voice was sickly sweet as he leaned in. With his free hand, Kizashi pulled down her mask and kissed her on the lips. 

She froze in place paralyzed. She was shocked. She was scared of what could happen next. On instinct, her finger flinched. An innocent gesture, but in actuality, what she did was, she used her blood technique to prevent a certain area of her father’s body to get the blood flow needed for an... erection.

He pulled away from her lips with a grunt. Probably he thought that it was due to alcohol - his inability. Sakura hoped that he would leave her alone… She could only hope. But she was wrong. He still had his dirty hands and he used them.

Swiftly Sakura found herself pinned on the bed. Kizashi wasted no time in pulling her pants down.

“My my, how have you matured, Sa-ku-ra,” he smirked as a finger brushed over her nether region. Sakura shivered intensely.

Why did she stop Kakashi from witnessing… _this_? He no doubts would have intervened… He could stop this… He could... No. Sakura was **ashamed**. She hated herself the most for allowing this to go on.

“Don’t pretend, kid. I know you like it,” Kizashi continued to taunt her as his fingers violated her. “Just listen to how wet you are. Your body is begging for it. You are asking for it,” he whispered to her ear and laid harsh kisses on her neck. There was an undeniable slushing sound echoing in her room.

Did she... Want this? Maybe this is why she didn’t kill him?... Was she the problem? Wouldn’t be the first time. Sakura gasped, as her body reacted to unwelcome stimulation.

“That’s it, baby. Such a _goooood_ girl you are,” he made a lick from her neck to her chin. Suddenly she felt his pace increase. A breath was caught in her throat. Kizashi didn’t stop. He inserted yet another finger. Her body was sweating and convulsing from the strain.

“Daddies little _girl_. That’s it. You belong to me.”

Her emerald eyes closed and she blacked out as her mind couldn’t handle it anymore. In her past life, Sakura considered herself ‘daddies little girl’. She accepted his **love** as it was the only way she could cope with it. Some things don’t change...

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura was more silent than usual as she sat in the class. Her mind was buzzing with static noise. She could not get _his_ words from her mind. **I know you like it… listen to how wet you are...** she felt bile rise in her throat.

“Team Seven!” Iruka-sensei announced snapping her back to reality. Gravity yet again grounded her thoughts into a small little box to be compartmentalized and never addressed again.

“Saku Haruno,” she sighed. Of course. 

“Naruto Uzumaki,” the blond boy leaped from his seat with a wide grin.

“Oh yeah! We gonna be the best team, Saku! Believe it!” his optimism was sweet. She didn’t react. For some reason, even though she thoroughly avoided Naruto, the boy still managed to consider her a friend. Maybe _because_ she _ignored_ him. She didn’t tease or abuse him like others. She didn’t look at him with cold eyes. That probably was enough.

“And Sasuke Uchiha,” the last name made all eyes turn to the dark-haired boy. All, except Sakura. She already expected as much. Naruto on the other hand started to complain much like in her past life.

After teams were sorted, Sakura decided to stay in her seat instead of going for lunch somewhere. She was not hungry at all. 

“Oy! Saku, wanna have lunch together?” Naruto sat next to her.

“I was planning to nap until our sensei arrives,” she shrugged placing her head on folded hands to indicate her intentions.

“Ohhh… you sleep a lot… because you train much, huh?”

“Hmm, yeah…”

“You are so amazing, Saku-kun! I will definitely have your back! Oh! You also have to teach me that move you did on dobe last month!...” he yapped and yapped, but she didn’t particularly mind.

Five hours later the three of them were the last ones left in the class. Sakura enjoyed her nap, while Sasuke and Naruto argued about something. The sound of opening doors made her peek. With a thud, an eraser fell onto Kakashi’s head. Right on schedule, Sakura thought looking up.

“WAIT! SENSEI! Why are you wearing a mask, like Saku-kun?? Do we all have to start wearing masks?” Naruto looked puzzled between her and Kakashi. Sasuke showed mild interest. Kakashi sighed loudly.

“No, this is a choice. Now, my first thought…”

From that point on Sakura had a weird deja vu. Kakashi said exactly the same thing. They ended up on the same spot on the roof. And now they were doing silly introductions as last time. She exhaled when Kakashi pointed at her to speak up.

“Yo. Saku Haruno. I like umeboshi. I dislike spicy food. My hobby is to watch clouds. I have no dreams yet,” well that ended up anticlimactic. Silence followed before their sensei spoke again.

“Survival training,” he announced and proceeded to explain with an ominous giggle. Looks like nothing at all is different! Sakura leisurely listened. She considered if it would be wise to show her potential from the start. Probably not.

━━━━━━━━━━

The next morning Sakura woke up as usual. She ate a full breakfast on her way disregarding their senseis request. She knew better. Neither Sasuke nor Naruto was late. Unlike Kakashi.

While they sat around waiting, Sakura meditated with closed eyes. It was actually a test for her patience more than anything else. She bid her time with calm. 

Even when the test started, Sakura followed her original steps. She hid and stayed out of the way. It would be odd for them to act as buddy buddies without having any contact prior to graduation. So Sakura waited. And waited. She watched Naruto fail. Smirk crept on her lips. To think that this was the future Hokage…

She exhaled focusing again on the scene in front of her. Naruto was getting another lecture as he was hanging from a tree after falling for a trap. Like on cue Sasuke attacked. Sakura turned away and walked in the opposite direction from the commotion. She wasn’t sure what to do until…

“Pts… Saku,” someone called her name and she instinctively turned to look. It was Kakashi. Well shit. She fell for the genjutsu again. But before it even finished forming, Sakura dispersed it.

“Kai!” she didn’t get to see what was in store for her. Good. Last time it was Sasuke’s injured body. Obviously, Kakashi went for it convinced of her love for Sasuke. She screamed then. Mostly because even without love, she did care for Uchiha. Like a brother. 

“Good job, Saku-kun,” Kakashi’s voice reached her again. Now he faced her like the boys. Like an equal. Sakura smirked under her mask. It was her chance!

Not willing to waste it, she quickly attacked pretending to draw her tanto. With her other hand, she gathered some water from the air and sent it in senbon shape at Kakashi. She didn’t hurry and put only 30% of her speed into it. But Kakashi was surprised non the less.

“Oh? Watter technique? Impressive,” he mentioned elegantly dodging her attacks. After a couple more attacks, Kakashi disappeared. She exhaled relaxing her stance. Leisurely she returned to the clearing where they initially started.

“Uchiha?” she grinned spotting the boys head sticking out of the ground.

“Shut it, Haruno!” the boy looked majorly mortified. Sakura laughed aloud as she got closer. “What are you…”

“Yeah yeah, pipe down, Uchiha. I’ll give you a hand, _teammate_ ,” she continued to grin as her two fingers hooked onto his nose and pulled the boy out.

“What the FUCK, HARUNO?” Sasuke was rubbing his face. Oh, how disgraced the great Uchiha was. She was pleased. And that was that. A bell rang announcing the end of their test.

Blah Blah Blah. Teamwork. Blah Blah Blah. Killed in action. Sakura listened with crossed arms. Kakashi sure talks a lot about working together, but he never gave her the light of day. Such hypocrite.

Then they were left alone. Naruto tied up. And just like before she and Sasuke shared their meals with Naruto. The whole day was like one big deja vu. Only now Sakura didn’t hesitate or complain while feeding Naruto. 

And so they passed.

Big woop.

Much wow.

Such surprise.

Team seven officially in business.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On a serious note. Victims of rape **cannot** control how their bodies react. Body’s reaction is **not** consent. If such a thing happens to you, do not hesitate and report it.


	7. The Land of Waves I

“Hokage-sama!”

“Ah, Kakashi. So you finally passed a team, congratulations,” the old man smirked gouging a reaction from his jonin. 

“Ahh.. thanks? But honestly, I still think I am not suited to be a sensei…” he trailed off hoping that there still was a chance to rejoin ANBU.

“Nonsense! You will be fine. So, what are your thoughts on your students?” he asked looking over the files of said students. There was no obligation to micromanage, but Sarutobi was somewhat personally invested in Naruto’s future. Also, there was the Uchiha matter…

“Well, Naruto is… something. But I do see Minato-sensei in him. He will become a great shinobi one day. I am not sure what I could teach him…” Kakashi yet again trailed off. The man did not lose hope to be deemed incompetent.

“Hm. I know what you mean. He was always a handful, but I have faith in your capabilities,” Sarutobi smirked unapologetically. Responsibility for the boy successfully passed on!

“Sasuke Uchiha is concerning. He is full of rage and not sure if he will ever learn how to work with a team.”

“I was concerned about that boy having trust issues after what happened… But if anyone can teach him teamwork, it will be you, Kakashi,” Sarutobi nodded with approval, while the masked man let out a shallow groan.

“And last… Saku Haruno. The boy is very calm. Detached. Doesn’t show much interest, but his fighting is competent. He has skills,” Kakashi deducted like finishing a mission report. 

“The civilian child, huh? Interesting…”

“Yes. I watched him for a week. He mostly trains and reads. Or spends time with Nara boy. Nothing really of note, but he might be a prodigy, considering he already can use water style.”

“Oh? Well, that is unusual, but it happens. Keep me up to date with his progress. Gouge his potential. The academy did show top results from Haruno boy, but you can never know what happens after they are let into the wild,” Sarutobi inhaled deep from his pipe. His face was contemplative. New talent opened up many possibilities for Konoha. 

“Yes, Hokage-sama,” with those last words Kakashi left in a puff of smoke and leaves.

━━━━━━━━━━

If Sakura thought, that academy was boring, she most definitely had forgotten how painfully dull D-rank missions are. She participated as much as she had to but didn’t actually chit chat with her team. Why even bother to bond if in a year both Naruto and Sasuke will leave the village?

“Saku-kun, you and I will spar next,” Kakashi said as they were spending the morning on the training grounds.

“Yes, sensei,” polite and dull. That was her way of sailing through.

So they started to spar. This was nothing like when Kakashi Hatake sparred with Sakura Haruno. No. For Saku Haruno Kakashi didn’t even take out his Ichi-Ichi paradise book. It was a compliment she didn’t hesitate to accept. 

Fighting the gray-haired man, Sakura mostly used the tanto she had secured on her right leg. Eventually, she considered getting a second one for her left side.

“Hmm, your swordsmanship skills are pretty weak, Saku-kun,” he commented casually.

“Yes. That is why I am practicing it. With. You. Sensei.” Each word was followed by a quick jab trying to nick Kakashi’s flak vest. She tried for the vital points like neck, abdomen, thighs, but copy-nin was fast. 

“Oh? You are easy to admit your faults, Saku-kun. That is very admirable,” the man didn’t even sweat as he avoided her jabs. Although, he was pleasantly surprised to find the pink-haired boy so quick and agile.

“Mhm…” Sakura didn’t answer anything else as she continued her attacks. Somewhere in their side Naruto and Sasuke rested, their eyes glued on two dancing figures.

“Saku-kun, where did you get the blade? It’s... well, not very good,” he tried to ask gently as they finally stopped. Sakura was breathing heavily. A bit true and a bit of acting, to hide her actual limits. 

“It’s used. New blades are expensive,” she answered shortly.

“I see.” 

Meaningful conversation indeed. None of them were people of many words. Well, with one blond exception. Either way, Sakura was glad to finally be treated equally. Before training, she actually forgot about Hatake clan proficiency with blades. Easy to miss, when Kakashi never used one… She wondered why.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Old man! I want a real mission!” Naruto yelled without an ounce of respect at the Hokage. It always amused her how the boy could act this way without any repercussions. Like… How? Anyone else would be punished… Ah yes. Maybe because of Naruto’s special secret technique - Talk no Jutsu. She managed to sidetrack herself, while the conversation finally lead to the unfortunate mission to the Land of Waves.

 _Here we go again…_ she thought glancing at the drunk bridge builder. Yup, that is definitely the same man.

“Thank you, Hokage-sama,” she bowed together with her teammates. For an instance, she felt Hiruzens gaze settle on her. But it was so brief, that it might have been nothing… It wasn’t anything. She was far too seasoned, to know better and not be a stupid little girl. 

Sarutobi was evaluating her. The talented civilian kid. Troublesome. Well, fuck her to Iwa and back. She will have to pay even more attention to ANBU or Root on her metaphorical tail.

━━━━━━━━━━

And so the five of them departed early morning. It was surprisingly refreshing to step out of Konoha again. Sakura felt less constrained... She felt like she could breathe again. Her shoulders relaxed. Kakashi took note of that.

As they passed the inconspicuous puddle, Sakura tensed again. Her hand reflectively went to her tanto handle. This time she didn’t ask Kakashi anything. Sakura Haruno used to ask so many stupid questions… Obvious questions… Not again. Kakashi took note of her micro movement.

And so it began. In the back of her neck, Sakura felt the water of the puddle shift. She will have to learn how to do that. Then chains wrapped around Kakashi and he was ‘ripped’ to pieces. Sakura already had tanto in her hand as she stood in front of the bridge builder in a defensive stance.

Sasuke, that show off he was, broke the chain. Two enemy-nin moved towards her. She stood calm and ready to attack. She could kill them, but it probably would not be a good thing to do in front of Kakashi. So she waited. Sasuke jumped to her side. _Side_. Last time, he jumped in front of her to _protect_ her. He finally considered her capable. _Fuck yeah!_

And it was over before it even started. Kakashi quickly took care of the assailants. With a sigh, she removed her dagger to rest in its place on her leg. 

“Saku-kun, what tipped you off?” sensei asked her.

“Puddle. There was no rain in weeks,” textbook response in a bored tone. Naruto was still shaking. Sasuke was as calm as her. Maybe two of them could make a good team… 

“Maa, Saku-kun, I would say you are too young to be so paranoid, but you were right, so I will let it slide this time,” cue trademark fake eye crinkle. Well, shit. Somehow this small action raised suspicion. But honestly, Sakura would do it again. There was just so much of her skills that she could suppress without looking like a _pathetic_ dead weight.

━━━━━━━━━━

After a light interrogation, some Naruto preaching and Sasuke scoffing, they moved back on the road. Again was something different - no one questioned her wanting to continue with the mission. She was not a weak girl in their eyes.

Excitement was what Sakura felt next. She knew they would meet Zabuza soon. A normal person would be afraid, but she had her own intentions. Zabusa of the Mist used water techniques! Maybe she didn’t have sharingan, but she still intended to copy his techniques. The mist. Hiding in water. Watter prison.

One water crossing and a scared rabbit later they all ducked out of a way of a huge sword soaring the sky. With amazement, Sakura watched as the infamous Zabuza landed on the handle of his sword. Wow. Shinobi were so theatric.

Don’t even get her started on all the empty talk shared between Zabusa, Naruto, Kakashi, and Sasuke. Were they shinobi or not? Talking about sharingan in front of a rogue ninja? How foolish. 

Extending her senses Sakura searched for the second beating heart. She had better things to do than participate in the knowledge sharing hour. _Haku, where are you?_ She could not locate him. That sneaky bastard was good. 

The fight between Zabusa and Kakashi went as expected. Sakura tracked their movements as best as she could. She learned so much! The way their hands moved was fast, but she could make out hand signs. She saved them to her memory. Another idea actually came to her mind as she registered how sensei copied Zabuza’s moves. She could ask him to teach her water clone jutsu! 

Finally, Kakashi got trapped and now it was their time to shine. Sakura smirked under her mask. She will not be a helpless bystander. So she thought. And yet, Naruto managed to exclude her… He made up the same plan as before together with Sasuke. And she was not a part of it…

Hadn’t she proven her skills yet? Was she not good enough? Will she ever be able to be a part of team seven? Sakura stood next to the bridge builder. Her confidence wavered as she watched Sasuke send his shuriken towards Zabuza. Her fist clenched tight until her knuckles were white.

The rest of the battle Sakura watched resigned. She was beyond angry with Naruto. Even the sudden appearance of Haku didn’t phase her. Sakura wanted to punch a tree. Or a certain Uzumaki. 

When Kakashi slumped on the ground from exhaustion, Sakura could no longer contain herself. She walked towards Naruto and stared down at him. Sakura grabbed the scuff of Naruto’s jacked slightly lifting him up.

“Why didn’t you include _me_ in your plan against Zabuza?” she asked deceivingly calm, but anger could be felt in her words. Her emerald eyes bore into the blue oceans that were Narutos orbs. “Do you think I’m _useless_?”

“Wa-what? No, Saku-kun! I just… I know dobe is great with shuriken so so… it was a spur of the moment decision! Believe it! I know how strong you are!” Naruto stuttered slightly.

With a scoff, she let go of him. Their journey to Tazuna's home was silent. Sourness was palpable.

“Haruno, are you jealous?” Sasuke suddenly asked and received a deadly stare in response. 

“Shut it, Uchiha, if you know what’s good for you,” she hissed back. She was no kid to deal with teasing. She was a shinobi and wanted to be treated as one. Sasuke didn’t say anything else after that. Probably was convinced of the truth of his statement.

━━━━━━━━━━

Kakashi woke up with a throbbing headache. He surely overdid it with the sharingan.

“Kakashi-sensei!” Naruto yelped jumping to his side. The masked man looked around to see his team gathered around his bedroll.

After only talking for ten minutes they had to make a conclusion that Zabuza was not dead. He also explained about ANBU and how dead shinobi bodies could be used. Curiously, he noticed, that Saku was listening without big interest. There was something else he noticed too... There was a weird sensation in the air between his fledglings.

“How about some training, guys?” he suggested with an eye crinkle. That sure did the trick as all of his students perked up.

“Alright. Training starts now!” he announced as they gathered in the forest. Before doing anything, he had to explain about chakra to Naruto. How on earth was that boy so capable and yet so oblivious at the same time?

So they started with tree climbing. Unsurprisingly, Saku was the one to master the technique on the first try. The boy had extraordinary chakra control.

“Sensei?” the boy in question approached him with a serious expression. This will be interesting he mused.

“Yes, Saku-kun?”

“Mmm…” the boy hesitated. This was amusing. Alright, he’ll bite.

“Yesss?”

“Sensei, could you teach me how to do a water clone?”

“Oh. I see. You saw me copy Zabuza, is that correct? And I noticed you already use some water techniques, well then it should not be a problem,” Kakashi replied reasoning if he really should teach the kid. Noticing how the green eyes started to glimmer, Kakashi decided to do it. The boy looked excited for once.

Okey, Kakashi noticed that Haruno kid was talented, but he didn’t expect for him to catch on to new techniques _this_ fast. He didn’t even try to pretend that it was because of his amazing teaching skills. After all, he only showed the hand signs and made a clone of his own. That was enough for Saku to grasp the concept. Combined with impeccable chakra control, soon enough there stood another Saku made out of water.

“Maaa, kid, you are a quick learner.”

“I learn quickly with good teachers.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere.”

“Hmmm, what about free food?” officially Saku just got closer to the title of his ‘ favorite student’. 

“Miso soup with eggplant,” he blurted out without thinking.

“Roger that, sensei,” the boy bowed and disappeared.

 _What just happened…_ Kakashi was a bit lost for words. Did he just intentionally ask for a bribe from his student? Saku didn’t cease to amaze the man. At first, the sight of the mask was enough to create curiosity, but the way this boy acted… it was something else.

He started to wonder what was hiding behind the mask. _Sages… is this how other people feel when it comes to my face?_ He shivered from the notion. The man was conflicted, but in the end, he was the sensei and Saku was the student. So naturally, Kakashi had the right to see his students face. Right?

━━━━━━━━━━


	8. The Land of Waves II

Even after training, there was still tension between the kids. Saku ignored Naruto and the boy couldn’t hide his gloom. Sasuke was smug. While Kakashi still tried to figure out what happened while he was out of commission.

At last, the masked man caved and took Uchiha to the side. He was the best bet on getting accurate reasoning of what was happening.

“Sasuke-kun, did anything happened between Saku and Naruto?”

“Oh, Haruno totally lost it on Naruto. He was jealous that teme didn’t include him in his plan against Zabuza,” yes, Sasuke was smug. Looks like he liked more when boys were fighting over him rather than girls. Interesting.

“I see,” Kakashi nodded lost in thought. Well, that was something new. He really doubted that Saku was jealous. What else could there be to push that timid boy over the edge? He didn’t have an answer. He could always just ignore it, but their teamwork will suffer. 

With that thought, Kakashi made time to corner Saku away from others. He sat down on the ground by a tree and patted next to him. The boy obeyed and sat down crossing his legs. Pink head of hairs tilted up so their eyes could meet. 

“Saku-kun, I want to talk with you.”

“Oookey…” the boy tilted his head to the side in curiosity. There was some anxiety behind his eyes that Kakashi spotted.

“Tell me, why were you upset with Naruto,” Kakashi’s eye carefully tracked every move his student made. He took note, how the boy tensed, his tiny hands clenched.

“We are a _team_ , but _Naruto_ doesn’t seem to think I am part of it…” Saku replied through clenched teeth. Ahh, now Kakashi understood. It was no jealousy. It was the feeling of being left out. The poor boy wanted to be part of the team so badly, that a simple moment of ignorance from Naruto was misunderstood as something more. Kakashi was surprised, that Saku cared so much. It was unexpected, but not a bad thing.

“Saku-kun, it was actually not surprising at all why Naruto acted instinctively with Sasuke in mind. Do you know why?”

Saku shook his head barely. His eyes bore into Kakashi with stern defiant expression. The boy was stubborn and proud.

“Naruto and Sasuke are training together all the time. They are also self-proclaimed rivals, meaning that they are on each others’ minds more than anyone else.”

There was a silent ‘oh’ from Saku’s direction and Kakashi gave the boy an eye crinkle.

“So, I will have you three spar together from now on. Just go easy on them, okey, Saku-kun?”

“Yes, Kakashi-sensei.”

Kakashi nodded happy with the talk they had. It was surprisingly easy to communicate with Saku. He was definitely mature for his age.

━━━━━━━━━━

A couple of days went by. Naruto and Sasuke finally grasped the tree climbing technique. Sakura knew what that meant. Zabuza. They will meet again shortly.

As the four of them approached the bridge, while Naruto was left behind, Sakura knew it was time. Even before they noticed all the injured bridge workers.

“Saku, Sasuke, protect Tazuna!” Kakashi ordered as the mist suddenly appeared around them. She didn’t interfere as Sasuke engaged in a fight with Haku. Airly identical were their moves. It didn’t take long for the Uchiha to be trapped like once before.

Sakura unsheathed her tanto and leaped forward. Unfortunately, the blade shattered when she made contact with Haku’s ice mirror. Throwing away the useless hilt to the side, she swung her left fist instead. Chakra enforced hit made aloud noize on contact. Slowly the ice started to crack and fell down to the ground in pieces.

Instantly Haku appeared by her side and kicked her in the ribs. Sakura flew across the bridge until her back hit the metal railing. She gasped coughing out blood. Damn, her rib was definitely broken. 

At that moment Naruto made his loud entrance. _Oh My Lord… he already acts like Jiraiya with his stupid stance and all…_ she thought swallowing blood in her mouth. One minus of having a mask, she guessed. 

“Saku! You alright?!” she heard a worried yell from Kakashi. 

“Peachy,” she smirked holding one hand in a thumbs-up gesture.

Haku was livid because she broke his jutsu. Ignoring Naruto, he attacked her once more. As another hit reached her Sakura's body turned to water! It was a water clone! Sakura appeared behind Haku and hit him in the back with her right fist. The boy disappeared quickly evading her attack.

It was painful to move with a broken rib poking at her guts, but Sakura had worse. Ignoring discomfort she engaged in a full-fledged taijutsu match with Haku. She was still holding back. A bit. Just enough to look normal.

In the corner of her eye, Sakura noticed Naruto helping Sasuke out of the mirror prison. Good. Now they could attack as a team. Meanwhile, Zabuza and Kakashi finally engaged in their own fight.

Naruto could not really match Haku in speed, but he was a good decoy allowing her and Sasuke to take advantage of an opening. 

“NARUTO!” Sasuke yelled out as Haku disappeared from his grasp to attack the blond. Naruto was not fast enough to avoid the hit. Blond’s body was limp on the ground. Uchiha let out a pained yell. Ah, sharingan. He has finally awakened his dojutsu.

With a second breath, Sakura followed Sasuke in toe for another attack. They almost had Haku, when… the boy disappeared. Silence fell around them. She looked behind to see Haku impaled on Kakashi’s hand.

Sakura relaxed in her stance. _Here we go again…_ she sighed as the verbal exchanges between shinobi began. Blah blah blah. Naruto yelling. Blah blah blah. Zabuza going off the rails. Blah blah blah. Gato appears. Jeez, why did they have to talk so much? Sakura never understood why they always wasted time with their revelations and declarations. Just do something already.

Shortly everything was over. Sasuke was mildly injured. Naruto didn’t get to release his inner beast. Kakashi was still bleeding a bit. Sakura winced as the broken rib reminded of itself. Instinctively she reached with her hand to her side as it started to glow green.

“Saku-kun, you know medical-ninjutsu?” Kakashi asked watching her with curiosity.

“A bit,” she replied keeping fat curses unsaid. Oh well, he would find out eventually. She avoided sensei’s gaze.

“Hmmm. We’ll talk about it later,” Kakashi let it go for now. Looks like she will have some time to think of a believable story to back her up.

━━━━━━━━━━

As team seven stood in front of two fresh graves, Sakura scoffed with her hands crossed on her chest.

“Why are we not taking their bodies to Konoha, sensei?” she asked bluntly.

“Saku! Why would we do that?!” Naruto gapped at her statement.

“Tame! You forgot what Kakashi-sensei told us about shinobi bodies? They hold information,” Sasuke explained.

“That’s just wrong,” Naruto shook his head.

“Well, Saku-kun, has some truth in his words. But this is more of a sign of respect to our enemy. Sometimes it is best to leave them to rest in peace,” Kakashi tried to explain earning another scoff from Sakura.

“Well, I bet not everyone shares your sentiment, Kakashi-sensei,” she muttered.

“True, but they would have to be searching to find Zabuza now.”

“Well then at least let’s take the sword! Leaving it here is the same as leaving a beacon. Also, the sword could be used in political matters with Kiri,” Sakura didn’t hold back anymore with her reasoning. This whole burial idea seemed beyond stupid for her.

“Maaa, Saku-kun, are you into politics too?” she rolled her eyes.

“No! But it is very stupid to leave such an important item out here.”

After a couple more back and forth reasoning, Kakashi sealed the sword in his scroll defeated. Sakura smirked. She couldn’t believe that she was the only one making sense here. Thankfully, Sasuke of all people took her side.

━━━━━━━━━━

The journey back to Konoha was without surprises. Sasuke walked in the front with Naruto debating about their recent fight.

“So, Saku-kun, any other secret techniques I should know about?”

“Medical ninjutsu is not a secret technique,” she shrugged casually.

“How did you learn it?”

“Library. Then I practiced on injured animals I could find,” innocent and borderline believable.

“Impressive. But not too surprising considering your level of chakra control,” Kakashi considered aloud. “Why did you decide to learn it?”

“It’s easier to heal yourself… and I don’t like hospitals...” she muttered.

“Will I have to drag you by force to a hospital when we get back?”

“Mmmm, probably,” she admitted truthfully. 

“I see.. There is one last thing I wanted to know,” Kakashi said casually, but Sakura could guess that the following question will not be as innocent as the man made it seem. “You’re left hook was impressive.”

Shit. Did he recognize her technique already? Sakura stayed as calm as she could.

“Yeah. I panicked a bit. After my blade broke, I kinda thought desperately that I needed more power to break Uchiha from the mirror prison,” she shrugged.

“Oh? So what did you do?”

“Hmm, I remember focusing chakra into my fist, so I guess that worked well in the end,” nonchalance and childish innocence please save her from this interrogation, she prayed.

“I see. Chakra-enhanced attack. Your instincts are _very_ impressive,” he mused glancing in her direction. “By the way, sorry about your blade.”

“It’s fine, sensei, you said it was no good either way,” she tried to brush it off but her shoulders did sink a bit.

“Mmm chem, if you want, Saku-kun, I can help you pick a new one when we get back?” Kakashi offered with a sheepish grin hidden behind his mask.

Sakura stopped mid-step and looked wide-eyed at him. An unadulterated surprise was in her eyes.

“You.. you would, sensei?” she hated how hopeful and pathetic her voice sounded.

“Yeah, sure, I know a thing or two about blades,” Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck. She could only nod in response and they continued on their way home.

━━━━━━━━━━

Their report to Hokage was followed by multiple sighs. How could a simple escort mission turn into a full-fledged encounter with a rouge-nin was beyond Hiruzen. He rubbed his temples and took another drag from his pipe.

“Your pay will be increased accordingly. Good work, team seven. You are dismissed. Kakashi, stay,” Hokage ordered. Three boys bowed and left.

“Kakashi, anything else to add?” he asked straight. The masked man nodded taking out a storage scroll.

“Yes, Hokage-sama. We brought back Zabuza’s sword. He was one of the seven swordsmen of the mist. This _could be used in political matters with Kiri_ ,” the way Kakashi said the last part made Sarutobi raise his eyebrow.

“Oh. Well, this is unexpected, but still a very valuable win for Konoha. I am surprised to hear such an idea coming from you, though, Kakashi.”

“Saku-kun suggested it. He actually wanted for us to bring Zabuzas body too,” Kakashi finally elaborated. “I did tell them about why ANBU hunt missing-nin and how valuable shinobi bodies are…”

“He did? Young Haruno has Konoha’s best interest in mind, very admirable. You should have brought Zabuza’s body too. But so be it. Have you learned anything new about the boy?”

“Well, the boy has exceptional chakra control. He is already familiar with basic medical ninjutsu too. Works well with the team in general,” Kakashi shrugged omitting the little detail about chakra-enhanced punches.

“Good good. I see a bright future is ahead of him, keep me updated with their progress.” That he did see. A civilian raised boy was showing a lot of promise. For a second old man considered pushing Saku to the medical field if he has such promise, but right away rejected the idea. No way is he taking a strong and capable shinobi out of the field to play being a nurse.

“Yes, Hokage-sama.”

━━━━━━━━━━


	9. Connections

Pay for a C-rank mission turned to A-rank was sweet. Sakura eagerly collected the money. The first thing on her shopping list was a new blade. She was reminded of the suggestion Kakashi proposed. The only problem was, to hold the sneaky jonin to his word.

Sakura went on a hunt. Well, not really much of a hunt, when you know exactly where your prey is. She was clever and had to plan carefully. She was not supposed to _know_ where Kakashi lived or hanged out. So it had to be an accidental encounter.

She settled on a bench in front of the jonin headquarters. Eventually, the man will have to come out. Or in. Either way, she embraced the hours of waiting. With meditation as her time passing activity, she settled. Chakra trickled into her seals slowly.

“You’re Shikamaru’s friend, right?” a voice made her turn around. She didn’t notice how much time had passed or how long this man watched her. Well, rusty kunai to the eye, her luck was the _best_.

“Hello, Nara-sama. Yes, I guess we are friends,” she answered calmly looking at the calculating gaze of Shikaku. The man looked deceivingly unthreatening. 

“Haven’t seen you together in a while.”

“My team just got back from a long mission.”

“I see. You should stop by our compound when you can.”

“Oh… well…” she was lost. What could she answer in this situation? Damn Nara. To spend an evening with their family sounded scarier than facing Zabuza.

“It’s fine, kid. Don’t worry. Shika will be thrilled. You know what, come tonight for dinner,” the man gave her a reassuring smile. Sakura instinctively rubbed the back of her neck. It’s not like she could refuse the invitation now.

“Mmmm… okay?” she was so screwed.

“Good good. So, what are you doing here?” he gestured with his eyes towards the jonin HQ. _Oh for the love of all sages._ Sakura facepalmed herself in her mind. Shikaku was the jonin commander. Of course, he would be found around here! How stupid of her to miss this detail.

“Well… I was hoping to track down my sensei,” she giggled awkwardly.

“And who is your team sensei?” Shikaku smirked amused. Knowing his intellect, he probably already knew the answer.

“Kakashi Hatake, sir.” Nara chuckled. Of course, he knew.

“Alright, I’ll tell you a secret, but you cannot say who told you it, okay?”

“Okay?” she tilted her head slightly. The man was toying with her. 

“At this time of the day, Kakashi probably is by the memorial stone paying his respects,” he winked and left her with that information. Well of course that is where Hatake was. She exhaled standing up to stretch her limbs. Well, at least now she had a good excuse to know this fact about her sensei. 

Sakura ran off with determination. No more than fifteen minutes later she was already approaching the tall figure in front of the memorial stone. She sat down on the grass next to him and placed a white bag in front of her.

“Yo.” she greeted him. The man craned his head down and stared.

“Why are you here?”

“Paying my debts,” as she spoke, Sakura pulled a covered bowl and placed it in front of Kakashi. “Miso.”

Kakashi exhaled but sat down next to her. The man could never refuse food.

“Don’t you think it is a bit disrespectful to eat here, pinky?” Sakura gave a narrowed eye stare at the nickname. That’s a first.

“Not disrespectful if the dead get some food too,” she shrugged taking another bowl that was placed in front of the stone. The last bowl in the bag was for her.

“You are weird, Saku-kun,” Kakashi still stared but followed her example of bowing politely before eating.

“I respect the dead. There is nothing weird about that, sensei,” Sakura indeed felt that way. It was no lie. They ate in silence their miso with eggplant.

“How did you find me?” Kakashi finally asked as both of them finished eating. Surprisingly, neither lowered the mask for the occasion. Looks like both of them ate only when the other one blinked. Sakura liked this little game of theirs. It was thrilling.

“I have connections,” Sakura smirked. She could see Kakashi getting irritated by the second as the fake crinkle appeared in his eye.

“Maaa, Saku-kun, would you like to learn some interrogation techniques?”

“Pass.”

“Shame. So why exactly are you ‘buttering me up’?” Kakashi asked eyes never leaving her profile. Sakura felt the same awkwardness as before. She shifted uncomfortably and looked away.

“Well… you said... you could possibly… help me to pick out a new blade?” she looked up hesitantly. Why did she fear his rejection? After all these years… Why did she care? Her eyes were hopeful, wide, and innocent.

“Oh, that. Sure, pinky. I have some time now,” Kakashi gave her a genuine smile for once. She couldn’t see it of course, but it showed in his eyes. His eyes were kind. He reached to ruffle her hair. Instinctively Sakura flinched but allowed the action. It felt… nice? Her heart still increased its pace.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Asuma! How are you, my dear friend? I heard you got a new team! Ah, the springtime of youth is upon us!” Might Guy beamed his brightest smile at two men he ran into.

“Ah, Guy, yeah. I got the new Ino-Shika-Cho,” Asuma replied lighting up his cigarette.

“Sweet, you better don’t fuck it up, Asuma,” Genma giggled shifting a senbon in his mouth as he leaned on the wall. Not only was it a team of noble clans kids, lead by the son of the Third Hokage himself. But more importantly, it was the team with high expectations set by their predecessors.

“Wait… is that Kakashi? Walking with... a child?” Asuma suddenly waved a hand to disperse the cloud of smoke that surrounded his head. Genma lazily turned his head and whistled.

“I didn’t know he had a kid…”

“What? HEY! MY ETERNAL RIVAL! What a joy to see you!” Guy didn’t wait or question the sight. He approached Kakashi followed by Asuma and Genma, who were simply curious.

Kakashi flinched at the words directed at him. Slowly he turned around. Yes. There he was, his rival and friend. Wearing the most scandalous green spandex outfit.

“Yo,” he lazily lifted one hand in greeting. Saku by his side also turned around with a similar lazy expression in his eyes. Boy was not visibly bothered by the unexpected interruption of their journey. Kakashi had a sudden urge to introduce Saku to Anko. Just to see what would happen.

The three men in front of them all stared down the pink-haired boy with various levels of amusement on their faces.

“Is there something you want to share with us, Kakashi?” Asuma tried to suppress a giggle. The masked man crossed his arms somewhat in a defensive manner.

“Not particularly.”

“And what is your name, mini Kakashi?” Genma leaned closer to Saku. The boy crossed his arms as if insulted by the insinuation. Adorably and unintentionally mirroring the bigger version of him.

“Saku Haruno,” Genma shared a glance with Asuma.

“My rival! I never thought this day would ever come! I am so proud of you!” Guy leaped into a forceful embrace with Kakashi, who froze completely puzzled. Tears were streaming, rainbows shining. Swear there was a bird or two chirping around the taijutsu master.

“Guy, I have no idea what you are talking about. Saku-kun is a genin from my team,” Kakashi exhaled pushing the grown man away.

“Yeah, sure,” Asuma chuckled one hand over his mouth. 

“Ah, I see! Well, young seedling, it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance! I am the Konoha’s very own Green Beast, Might Guy!” Saku cringed the whole time Guy was making his introductions. Kakashi almost smiled seeing the pained expression on his student’s face. Ahh, karma never fails.

“And this is my dear ex-teammate Genma Shiranui! And this is Asuma Sarutobi who is in charge of your youthful genin classmen!” Guy already pushed the pink-haired boy forward for introductions. Kakashi watched from the side basically sacrificing his student to the lions that were his friends.

“Shiranui-san, Sarutobi-san,” Saku bowed slightly to both men.

━━━━━━━━━━

For twenty minutes Saku was questioned and examined like some unique bread animal.

“What’s your chakra affinity?”

“Water.”

“Is that natural pink hair?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm, is your hair _really_ not silver?”

“ **Really.** ”

“You use a tanto?”

“Yes.”

“Do you like dogs?”

“... yes? …”

The questions varied from absurd to ninja related maters. Sakura tried to answer calmly as she planned revenge on the sensei who abandoned her. Eventually, they were allowed to leave. As their figures got farther, the men left behind still stared at their backs.

“So? What do you think, Guy?”

“Hmmm. There is definitely a chance.”

“I bet he is Kakashi’s brat.”

“No way, the kid is too normal.”

“I don’t know. The mask and his manners are pretty uncanny.”

“And that ridiculous pink hair!”

“I still think it’s fake! Definitely to pick up girls.”

“Genma! Not everyone’s such a man whore like you. The boy’s what, 12? He’s just a kid.”

“Hmmm. I could see young Saku with silver hair.”

“See!”

“Well, I guess we will find out sooner or later the truth about Saku Haruno.”

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura sneezed in the dusty weapons store. She rubbed her nose over the fabric of her mask.

“So, how should I pick a blade, sensei?”

“Hmmm, well what do you want to accomplish by wielding a blade, Saku-kun?”

“I want to have two blades. One in each hand,” she answered already prepared response.

“Dual wielding, huh? Well, then forget about katanas. They are too large for that,” Kakashi explained as they looked over a rack of swords.

“Not like you could handle a katana at your current size,” Kakashi chuckled. She was very close to hitting him in the ribs. For now, Sakura scoffed and turned around.

“Tanto then?” she asked reaching for the familiar weapon.

“Hmm, I think you could get an upgrade. What about this?” Kakashi took a blade slightly longer than a regular tanto.

“It looks cool,” she shrugged earning an eye roll from him.

“ _It_ is wakizashi blade. The size is good for using two at a time.”

So it was decided. Two blades were placed on a counter.

“Will that be it?” 

“No, please also include a sharpening set,” Kakashi interjected. Meanwhile, Sakura calculated in her head. Shit, even with her extra pay it wouldn’t be enough. Kakashi the master ninja he was, somehow read her like a children’s book.

“Say, pinky, why don’t you get the one blade and the kit and I will pay for your second blade? Then you will owe me,” eye crinkle kindly directed at her. Sakura stared right back at him. _Whut?_

“Okeeeyy..” she answered still hesitantly. Beggars cannot be choosers after all. And so she walked out of the store with her new weapons secured on each leg. Even with the extra weight, Sakura felt light as a feather.

━━━━━━━━━━

In a few hours, she was already making her way to Nara compound. Get in and get out. Get in and get out. Her mantra was simple and clear.

“Good evening, Nara-sama,” she bowed to the clan head who opened the door.

“Saku-kun, you’re just in time. Come in. Shika, your friend is here,” he called back. Youngest Nara showed up from a corner.

“Hey, Saku.”

“Yo,” she waved lazily as she was lead deeper inside the home.

“Saku, sorry about my dad. He was kinda nagging me to introduce you for a while now, but I know you’re not into such things,” Shikamaru whispered apologetically.

“No prob. Free food is free food,” she shrugged in response. 

“So, how is it going with your new team, Saku-kun?” Shikaku asked as the food was served.

“We are getting there,” she shrugged trying to not say too much, but Shikaku wasn’t having any of it.

“I heard you guys had a pretty intense mission in the Land of Waves?”

“Mhm. It was fine until the rogue-nin showed up,” Sakura muttered. There was no point in hiding things. Shikaku probably read over their report either way.

“You serious?” Shikamaru even got interested. 

“Mhm. He had this huge sword and his partner could do ice release,” Sakura said as if it was the most natural thing. She felt Shikaku study her. Was he reading her behavior? Or did he simply wait for her to lower her mask to eat? _Ha! Fool!_

Many before him tried and failed. For kami’s sake, she had tried herself the same thing with Kakashi. It took only a single moment for Shikaku to be distracted and her plate was empty. Sakura burped.

“Sorry. Food was delicious,” Sakura smirked at Shikamaru’s mother.

“Saku-kun, do you ever take off your mask?” Shikaku mused.

“Dad! Don’t just ask such things.”

“It’s fine. I am a shinobi. Shinobi should always keep their anonymity.”

“Very wise, Saku-kun.” 

After dinner, Sakura was pulled in to play some shogi with Shikamaru. He nagged her for years to do it. She agreed today only because Shikaku insisted.

“Saku-kun, have you played before?” clan head asked as Shikamaru pondered over his next move.

“Not really. But I read a couple of books about it,” she brushed it off.

“Saku is a total bookworm,” Shika muttered displeased as he fell into one of her traps.

“I like books.”

The evening ended without any incidence. At least Sakura counted it as a win. Keeping a balance between normal and abnormally smart kid was tiresome, but Sakura managed. Her whole life was a lie, so by now, it came rather naturally to pretend.

She bowed to say goodbye and left. The evening was nice. Silent and calm. Her belly was full and mind exhausted. Back in her room, two new blades waited to be broken in.

Sakura swiftly climbed through her window and fell to her bed. Sleep came easy. It was blank and dark. Sometimes she missed dreaming. Sometimes she missed her inner. But she was no kid anymore. She didn’t need someone to vent with. She could actually express herself without being bothered if it was ladylike to say it or not.

She was woken up abruptly by a big hand twisting her arm.

“Where have you been, brat?” Kizashi’s voice growled at her ear. The stench of whiskey filled her nostrils.

“I go on missions now…” she managed a whisper.

And so her morning did not start too great. Nothing new. A bruise there, o fractured bone here. The usual. She wiped the blood from her chin and got ready for the day unphased.

━━━━━━━━━━


	10. Alone

Naruto’s world was cracked. Nothing could ever be the same. What kind of Hokage was he if he couldn’t save his best friend? He glanced at the white letter scrunched in his hand. Sakura left it for him. Naruto probably read over it a thousand times by now. Her words still hurt.

_Naruto,_  
_I know how strong you are. How much you already survived. Therefore, from the respect I have for you, I will not coddle you. I have faith, that you will appreciate my truth._

_I wanted to belong so badly. You know how that feels, don’t you? I wanted to be a part of Team Seven. But I never was. Let’s face it. I was always the dead weight, while you and Sasuke took charge. Do not deny it._

_When the time came, you had no trouble leaving me behind. That is what I always had to look at - your backs. Always chasing the two of you. I tried to end it back then when you left. But I was too weak as usual. When you were away training with Jiraiya the only person left by my side was Tsunade. She saved me. For a while at least._

_But do not misunderstand me. It is not your fault. There is much I could have done differently. I secretly wished that I had been an orphan like you. My parents… I was abused. I was hurt. I was raped. And probably that is the core of my sorrow._

_Please tell Sasuke and Sarada of what I have done. Do not hide my suicide behind a made-up attack. I did not leave any letters for them. We were never an actual family. I do not think either of them will be affected too much._

_You can give my body to Orochimaru if he wants it. I owe him a lot over the years. He can tell you more if he wants to. I have nothing left to hide._

_Live well Naruto. I believe in you._

_Forever your friend, with love_  
_S.H._

Naruto had more questions than answers. His mind was buzzing. The guilt was like a stone on his heart. He could not believe what he was reading. She.. she… tried to kill herself because **he** left her. How ignorant and self-centered he had been…

“Sakura… Sakura… why didn’t you talk with me?” he muttered without purpose. Before reading it, Naruto didn’t even think about Sasuke and Sarada. Now that was the only thing he could see in his mind. He will have to tell the child about Sakura… He will have to tell Sasuke…

What concerned him, was that Sakura didn’t think of them as family. Was there something else Naruto had missed? Did Sasuke… do something? No. He could not even consider such a possibility.

“Hokage-sama, Team Seven returned to the village,” ANBU by his side announced. Naruto exhaled closing his eyes. He didn’t want to do this. But it was his duty. The last wish Sakura had left him to take care of.

━━━━━━━━━━

Team Seven completed their mission without any issues for once. As they stepped into the village, Boruto could feel odd stares directed at them. It was a bit unnerving. The guards by the gates also shifted in place at their sight. Their faces were eerie blank of any expression.

“Konohamaru-san, Hokage-sama requested Team Seven to report immediately when you arrive,” the guard said avoiding to look at the kids. It was almost as if their sensei and the man were having a whole different conversation with their eyes only.

“Understood. Team, let’s take the roofs,” sensei said. His face showed worry and Boruto himself felt a pang in his stomach. There was something up. Maybe another attack?

Shortly they were in front of Naruto. His father was more grim than usual. Paler too. Eyes a bit weird as he looked over their team.

“Hokage-sama, …” Konohamaru started by giving their mission report. Everyone waited for something, but Naruto didn’t say anything. His gaze was pensive.

“Good work, Team Seven,” he finally said. “Boruto, Mitsuki, you are dismissed.”

That was odd. Three kids shared a look.

“OI! What’s up, dad? You can say anything to us too!” Naruto didn’t respond to Boruto’s outburst. He simply gave a deadpanned stare. The look that left no place for arguments. Boruto opened his mouth. This was really serious. Reluctantly, Mitsuki pulled him away.

Only Sarada and Konohamaru were left. Naruto exhaled before standing up. He walked around the table and crouched before the young kunoichi.

“Sarada. Your mother is dead. Sakura killed herself a couple of days ago,” he said it in one breath like tearing off a bandage.

Konohamaru inhaled sharply. Now all the stares and emotions in the village started to make sense. He looked down at his student. Sarada said nothing. She only stared at Naruto.

“What happens now?” she slowly asked. Her voice slightly shook. 

Naruto had a pained expression on his face as he exchanged a glance with Konohamaru.

“You are a genin, so that makes you officially an adult. And regarding the funeral… there are some things we have to sort out before it happens,” those things mainly being Orochimaru and his intentions towards Sakura.

Sarada gave a nod.

“Can I go now?” she asked timidly.

“Yes and, Sarada, we are here for you,” Naruto desperately wanted to hug the child, but something stopped him from doing so. Maybe it was the empty look in her eyes.

She left without showing any emotion, like a true shinobi. She was so much like Sasuke, that it concerned Naruto. How could have Sakura predicted this? Was this what kind of family they were? Cold? Uncaring? Nothing made sense.

“Naruto, are you okay?” Konohamaru asked placing a hand on his shoulder.

“No, Konohamaru, I am not okay at all,” he exhaled.

━━━━━━━━━━

Meeting Sasuke was a once a month occurrence if you were lucky. Unfortunately, Naruto was lucky. He stood in silence on top of a hill outside Konoha. He was early. Mind still a mush of thoughts.

“Naruto,” a voiced reached him from behind. Sasuke appeared without any sound. Silent like a ghost. A memory of the past…

“Sasuke,” he greeted his friend, but there was no usual smile or cheer. Naruto couldn’t even look at him now. He didn’t only fail Sakura. He failed Sasuke too, by allowing his wife to die…

“I do not have anything to report.”

“Sasuke…” Narutos voice was more like a murmur. 

“I did notice some activity in North…”

“Sasuke…” Naruto closed his eyes.

“Naruto?” he felt Sasuke raise his eyebrow in a questioning manner.

“Sasuke… I am so sorry…” tears threatened to show up in the corners of his eyes.

Uchiha was silent.

“Is Sarada okay?” the first thing the man asked. A natural concern for his child. Naruto’s heart ached.

“Yes… but… Sakura.. She is dead. She killed herself… I am so sorry Sasuke...” a tear rolled down his cheek. Fuck.

“Oh.” Sasuke’s voice was deprived of any emotion. Naruto's head snapped to him in an instant. Oh? Is that the only thing he could say? He grabbed the man’s lapel in anger.

“OH?? Is that it??? Didn’t you hear me???? Sakura. Is. Dead, Sasuke! She is dead!” Naruto yelled. While his friend stared back. He exhaled.

“Calm down, Naruto.”

“CALM THE FUCK DOWN?? DON’T YOU CARE AT ALL??”

“Naruto. It happened. It was her choice.”

Naruto stepped back in shock. His hands were shaking.

“She was your WIFE! She was your daughter’s MOTHER!”

“Sarada is a genin now. She will be fine.”

“FINE??? What is wrong with you???” Naruto paused. Kami, Sakura was right. They didn’t look like a family at all. But he could not believe it. “Didn’t you love Sakura?”

“No.”

That simple statement sent Naruto over the edge. His hand moved on its own as he hit Sasuke in the face.

“What. The. Fuck.”

“Naruto, I only asked Sakura to help me in the reproduction of my clan. There was never anything more between us. Just a deal. And she took care of it. She gave birth to my child and cared for her until she became a genin. Our agreement was fulfilled from my point of view.” 

Naruto blinked intensely unable to comprehend the words.

“How could you… Sasuke.. Did you know? Teme! Answer me! Did you know that Sakura would do something like that?”

“No. We never actually talked much. Haven’t even seen her since the war,” the way how casually Sasuke spoke got under Naruto’s skin. Was he the only one who cared about what happened with Sakura? That could not be it.

“But.. but… you had a child together!”

“Well, we didn’t actually sleep together or anything. Fertilization was done in a lab.”

“Lab.. fertilization…” Naruto felt sick. Poor Sakura… She really was all alone. She pretended to have a happy family for everyone else’s sake. “But… but.. She was our friend..”

“Yes. That may be. If she is our friend, we should accept her choice.”

Naruto was left standing alone. Thoughts in his head fell into a standstill.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Ah, Narrruto-kun. You didn’t have to come yourself, _Lord Hokage_ ,” Orochimaru smirked showing his teeth. He sat behind his desk. Books and scrolls next to his microscope.

“Orochimaru. Did you know?” Naruto asked straight as his eyes looked for something in sannin's face.

“Oh? I know many things. You have to be more sssspecific,” Orochimaru got curious what this was about. He had a sneaking suspicion that it had to do something with Sakura. After all, he didn’t hear back from her ever since he called.

“Sakura. Did you know she was going to kill herself?” Orochimaru’s eyes widened. It all clicked to place. Her weird gesture with the poison. Her words. The letter. 

“I see. No, I did not know. But she left me a letter and that is why I called you,” snake explained crossing his arms.

“She left you a letter too? You? Why you?” Naruto demanded. It was amusing how lost the adult blond acted. He was again a child in his eyes. Sannin sighed.

“She wanted to thank me. Believe me, I am as surprised as you are.”

“Why? What happened between you and Sakura?”

“Ahh. Well, I helped her and Sasuke with their.. Arrangement,” he smirked implying lightly about Sarada. He was testing the waters - just how much did Naruto already know.

“I see. So it was your lab.”

“Oh? So she told you?” Orochimaru raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“No. Sasuke did.”

“Ahh. Yes. Sakura-chan always liked to keep appearances,” Orochimaru smirked with something like nostalgia to his features.

“She.. she said you could have her body if you wanted to…” Naruto whispered taking a seat on a leather couch. His head rested back, eyes closed. Boy probably had a hard time even saying such a demand. Orochimaru shifted in his seat waiting for the punch line or a catch to this statement. There was nothing.

“Did she say why?”

“She only mentioned that she owes you,” there was tangible frustration in the blond’s voice. “It’s like I didn’t even know her… Why did she owe you? I am starting to suspect, that not because of Sasuke and Sarada.”

“Well, no and yes,” Orochimaru grinned. This was amusing. Death didn’t phase him anymore. People he knew died all the time. 

“Explain.”

“Basically she thanked me for killing her parents.”

Naruto groaned with pain. There was a story there and sannin was curious to find out more. He waited, but it didn’t look like Naruto was going to elaborate.

“My my, Konoha never fails to _fail _its shinobi.”__

__“Shut up, Orochimaru. Not now.”_ _

__“Fiiiine. I do want her. I will take good care of her, Naruto-kun, she will be safe with me.”_ _

__Naruto nodded reluctantly. If this was what Sakura wanted, he will allow it no matter how fucked up it sounded. No person in his right mind would give their body to Orochimaru. Another statement on how broken Sakura was. But her last wish was the only thing he could do for her now._ _

__“Alright. I’ll need a clone for the funeral.”_ _

__“Not a prrrroblem. Give me ten minutes,” Orochimaru grinned before leaving for another room._ _

__Naruto slumped into the couch. He felt like he really was the only one who cared about Sakura. Alone. Alone, all alone. Nobody, but nobody can truly make it out here alone._ _

____

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Readers! Leave your best guess down below in the comments - what will Orochimaru do with Sakura? I am curious to see if anyone will guess it right and I might steal some ideas too :D 
> 
> P.S. The last two sentences are actually a quote from a Maya Angelou poem.


	11. Ten Questions

Sakura felt almost like a noose was strangling her from all the attention she was getting. Once a day for a few hours she would feel a hidden presence tracking her. Either ANBU or Root she decided. Also, Naruto tried to drag her to the bathhouse and almost succeeded for once.

She exhaled taking refuge in the library. Chunin exams were getting closer. That means a lot more eyes on her. Maybe even medical examinations.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips. Eyes closed she leaned her head on folded hands. It was comfortable to act like a boy. She did not want to lose this feeling. So she will just have to up her game.

Keeping up a henge was not an option. Too noticeable and cost too much chakra. The only other option was Tsunade’s secret transformation technique. Sakura will have to modify it too, but with her Yin Seals complete, at least she will be able to maintain it. 

“First, I need a reference,” Sakura whispered reaching for medical textbooks. Anatomy. For once she focused on illustrations, rather than text. She refreshed her memory on how 12-year-old boys should look below the belt. To the smallest details, she constructed an image in her head. Not too big. Not too small. Chakra pathways have to be there too. And her original organs will have to be gone.

Sakura didn’t risk practicing this outside. Instead, she did it right in the library. With her perfect chakra control, there was no sound or smoke, when she activated the jutsu. Practice with water and meditation caught her body to the required level for such advanced techniques.

“Ugh.. this is uncomfortable…” she shifted on her seat. Hand discretely adjusted her new ‘equipment’. After thinking for a bit, she reduced nerve sensitivity there. No need to deliberately give herself a weakness.

“Now... toilet…” she inhaled sharply going to the restrooms. It took some aiming practice, but she was a quick learner. Everything seemed to work as it should. Medical knowledge surely came in handy. It was still probably the weirdest thing she had to do.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura was thorough when she practiced. Now besides her usual training with swords, she would practice ‘taking a leak’. It was amusing. A bit funny. But after a while, she felt comfortable enough, that she could do it in presence of others.

The new wakizashi blades were incredible! The sound they made while snapping in the air was thrilling. Her left hand was a bit weak, so she concentrated on strength practices for her whole body. Laps around Konoha. Push-ups. Sit-ups. Push-ups on fingers only.

Her body was getting stronger every day and she loved it. Team training was less intense than her own personal regiment, but she dutifully participated. During those hours she would force Kakashi to spar with her. On occasion, would even gouge a new water technique from the man.

“Oy, Saku! Say, what do you think is under Kakashi’s mask?” Naruto smirked as they waited for a second hour on the bridge. Kakashi was late.

“Dunno. Don’t care.”

“Whaaaat? You’re no fun just like teme!”

“Naruto, you’re so childish,” Sasuke decided to grace them with his comment.

“Saku, why don’t you show us your face? We are teammates after all!” Naruto started to whine again. He was relentless.

“I am afraid, that if you see my face… I’ll have to kill you,” Sakura turned to the blond with dead seriousness to her eyes.

“Saku-kun, I would refrain from killing teammates,” a sweet voice sounded right behind her. She instinctively pulled a kunai turning around. Kakashi’s hand disarmed her without any effort.

“SAKU! ARE YOU INSANE??” Naruto stumbled back in surprise.

“Now now, Naruto-kun, you should be always ready for any surprises. Saku-kun, good reaction, but I felt you were not serious behind it, so try better next time, okey?” his crinkled eye was getting annoying.

“Yes, sensei,” she pouted putting her kunai away. 

“Now, about your mask. I actually agree with Naruto. Your teammates should know how you look like,” he smirked leaning closer. Even Sasuke peered at them from where he was perched on the railing.

“Fine,” she exhaled. Now Naruto and Sasuke leaned closer. Anticipation was thick in the air.

“Behind this mask…” she raised her hand slowly to the edge of the fabric. Leisurely she pulled it down to everyone’s surprise. “Is another mask! Cool, huh?” She smirked unapologetically. Naruto fell down with a groan, Sasuke scoffed, Kakashi’s eye twitched.

Then Sakura had to dodge Naruto, who lunged at her in an attempt to pull off her second mask. That evolved into a three-way spar as Sasuke joined in.

━━━━━━━━━━

Why did she agree to this? Oh why… she knew it would be a bad idea. Rookies going out for a bath together was the last thing she wanted to spend her time doing. She had to train! And yet, here she was in the dressing room.

Naruto and Sasuke beside her tried very hard to watch her discreetly, but they were hopeless. Sakura sighed folding her clothing. With a towel wrapped around her waist, mask still on, she went to the outside pool. 

No one commented on her naked appearance, so looks like her transformation technique worked just fine. Not only she gave herself what she was lacking, but also she hid some things like her growing breasts and the scars on her back. It would raise too many questions.

She settled next to Shikamaru. The warm water was nice.

“Saku, my man, you are ripped!” Kiba yelled out as he swam by.

“Of course he is! He never stops training!” Naruto pouted with folded arms. Very obviously disappointed to see the mask in place. Ahhh, the whole bath thing probably was a ploy to see her face. Sakura smirked.

“Maybe you should train for once, dobe,” Sasuke smirked as well.

“Hmm, Saku-san, doesn’t your arm hurt?” Shino added. She had to look down as she didn’t even feel any pain. Right. She somehow forgot to heal a bruise out there. There was indeed a nasty red mark on her wrist. Huh, she was getting really immune to pain.

“It’s nothing. Training,” she brushed it off.

“Saku, wanna play shogi again?” Shikamaru said while her two teammates entered their usual banter session.

“Maaaa, I need to read more books, before I can even try against you, Shika.”

“Pffft. You were not struggling too much last time.”

“I hide it well,” she shrugged nonchalantly.

“My dad also wants to play against you,” Shikamaru added casually. She let out an incoherent mumble. Troublesome. 

After the bath, their gang went out for food. Sakura sat down between Naruto and Sasuke only to avoid Ino, who desperately tried to get closer. She really didn’t want to get too friendly with a Yamanaka. 

Lazily, Sakura brushed her hand over her still wet pink locks. They stayed back like that. She felt a heavy stare. Looking around she noticed Ino _and_ Hinata ogling her little gesture. Urgently, she looked away from the girls. Troublesome.

“Soooooo, Saku-kun, what hobbies do you have?” Ino asked sweetly.

“Mmm training?” she offered. Shikamaru giggled.

“Told you, Ino,” he added and received a punch from the blond. 

The evening was actually not half bad. The group chatted about their missions and senseis. Completely unaware of a couple by the next table listening in.

“So that’s him, huh? The pink hair?”

“Yup. What do you think?”

“Well, I can see Genma’s point. It’s a bit creepy how alike they look. Except for the hair. And eyes,” the woman said looking back at her companion.

“I didn’t actually know he was close to Shikamaru,” Asuma mused. The Nara boy didn’t really have many friends. Mostly because he was too lazy to make any.

“Mmm. But even if he _is_ Kakashi’s, who’s the mother?” Kurenai smirked mischievously. This whole conundrum off Saku Haruno spread among jonin ranks like wildfire. Surely with help of the gossiping queens that Genma and Shikaku were.

“Maybe we could ask Ibiki to gouge some info?” the man suggested jokingly.

“Asuma!” she playfully jabbed her lover to the side.

━━━━━━━━━━

A dozen low-rank missions later, Sakura walked down the street lost in thought. Her training was coming together. Her left hand was way stronger now. She could wield both swords in a satisfactory manner, but her water ninjutsu was not yet where she wanted it. The thirst for power grew within her with each achievement.

She lazily walked hands in her pockets. Somewhere in front of her could be heard a distinctive yell made by Naruto. She sighed. There was still time to change her path…

“Saku! Come here! We need to teach these jerks a lesson!” damn, she was spotted. Her tired gaze fell on two familiar figures next to the blond. Temari and Kankuro. 

“Pass,” she said casually passing by the group. Temari gazed at her blinking. There was a weird smirk on her lips. Sakura didn’t like it. It made a shiver go down her spine. 

Naruto didn’t have time to stop her as Sasuke intervene. Perfect. She could leave without getting in the middle of this pointless banter. Or so she thought. Couple of blocks down, a female voice called her from behind.

“Ei! Saku was it?” Temari appeared in front of her. This time she was not only with Konkuro but Gaara too. Bloodthirsty eyes didn’t even make her flinch.

“Yo.” Sakura greeted giving in to this encounter no matter how bothersome it was. Maybe if she entertains them, it will all be over soon?

“Are you not interested in protecting your fellow shinobi?” Kankuro said with mirth.

“Not my problem if they provoked you,” she shrugged.

“Maybe there are smart shinobi in Konoha after all,” the puppeteer grinned wider, mistakenly thinking that Sakura was afraid of them. Ha.

“You annoy me,” was the only thing Gaara said. Sakura shrugged again.

“Maa, don’t be so glum, redhead,” she couldn’t hold back her remark. Ups.

“Gaara. Gaara of the Sand.”

“Cool. Saku Haruno of the Leaf. So, are we like friends now or something?” sages left with her common sense apparently. What was she doing? Smirking and provoking Gaara was not the wisest thing to do. And yet she could not resist. The young Gaara looked adorably angsty and she wanted to poke him. Maybe she was still suicidal? Only logical explanation.

Temari and Kankuro glared at her bewildered.

“Friends?” Gaara said the word as if it was foreign to him.

“Yup,” she had nothing else to add. This was absurd.

“I could kill you in a second.”

“I bet you can,” Sakura didn’t deny as she knew very well how dangerous Gaara could be.

“Are you not scared of me?”

“Mmm, not really. I mean, we all will die at some point,” she considered rubbing her chin slightly. Then she felt that presence in the back of her neck. “Right, my babysitters are here, so I better leave you to whatever you’re up to. See ya, Gaara,” she raised one hand and left three siblings to stand in the shocked confusion that was this conversation.

━━━━━━━━━━

Chunin exams were finally here. Kakashi had given them the applications. Sakura had defeated her ‘assailant’ without breaking a sweat. And now she stood with Sasuke and Naruto in front of the Academy. She considered how to act in here, but honestly, controlling two loose cannons would be a pain, so she let them go.

Sasuke and Naruto instantly made a scene as she watched from the side. At least this time Lee didn’t send her kisses, she exhaled with relief. In ten minutes they were walking away. Easy enough, if she continues to stay behind. Strangely, staying behind them felt weirdly similar to how Sakura Haruno acted… She clenched her jaw tighter.

But.. if before she felt like she couldn’t interfere, now she _chose_ not to. Only that thought managed to calm her inner feelings. Yes, she chose to stay silent. And she will not allow Naruto, Sasuke, or anyone else for that matter to provoke her.

“Saku Haruno is it?” someone called her from behind. She turned to be assaulted by the bold green little monster. She wondered what Lee could possibly want from her. Or how did he even knew her name?

“Yo,” she nodded hands resting in her pockets.

“Fight me!” she blinked confused… Wasn’t he supposed to fight Sasuke at this point?

“Mmm, maybe you should fight Uchiha? He needs an ass whooping more,” she suggested. Sasuke scoffed at her. 

“No! I want to fight you, Saku Haruno, the number one rookie! I am Rock Lee and I will beat you!” eyes shining, brows flaunting.

“Mmmm, yeah, pass. Lee-san, if you want to test your strength with me, we can spar after the exams,” she offered in exchange. Secretly, she didn’t want Sasuke to copy any of Lee’s moves that the boy worked so hard to achieve. Sakura related to him. They both had a disadvantage and worked to the bone to be where they are now.

“Alright! It will be an honor to face such a youthful opponent!” Lee beamed his widest smile accompanied with thumbs up. Still unsettling, but… what Lee just did was the biggest compliment Sakura ever received. He considered her worthy to fight head-on! He accepted her! He acknowledged her!

“See ya, Rock Lee,” she waved before leaving.

“Saku, did you hit your head or something? Why would you agree to fight that weirdo?” Naruto questioned with a tang of jealousy. She never agreed to fight him outside of their training time.

“He is strong. I probably would have lost fighting right now,” she shrugged casually. The boys next to her stopped shocked.

“WHAT? That loser would beat you? No way,” Sasuke shook his head in denial.

“Yup. Didn’t you notice his stance and bandages? It was pretty obvious that he trains even more than I do. Hmmmm… I should probably start training more...” she thought aloud likely speaking more than any other day before. Naruto and Sasuke were disturbed.

━━━━━━━━━━

Kakashi looked proud that they all showed up. Sakura was reminded how the last time she was the only one who he worried about not showing up. _He didn’t even hide how weak he considered me…_ she thought with bitterness.

“Saku!” Ino ambushed her. Yamanaka quickly wrapped her arms around her neck. “You made it!” her voice was cheery attracting not only the eyes of other rookies but other foreign genin too. _Ino-pig, let the wrath of the sages damn you for eternity…_ Sakura finally managed to push the blond away suppressing the urge to shunshin away.

Kabuto appeared on schedule with his info cards. At that point, Sakura melted into the background. You would think it would be hard to disappear with her pink head of hair, but Naruto and Kabuto shined brighter than the sun. 

Ibiki Morino appeared with a literal bang. He was as intimidating as ever, but not to Sakura. Watching 'the show' for the second time wasn't as effective. 

Sakura sat down without a single shred of worry. The only thing she did consider was Naruto. On one hand, she wanted to ignore his struggle completely. On the other hand, she wanted to pass this exam of teamwork and knowledge sharing with the best possible scores. She wanted to show off. 

So it begins. Sakura quickly filled in her answers. Easy as cake. It really was easier the second time around. In 10 minutes she was done. _Now… Naruto…_ Sakura closed her eyes and placed her chin on folded fingers. Concentrate. Isolate Naruto. Naruto's ink pen.

With only a slight tapping of her finger, Sakura took control of the ink in Naruto’s pen. Slowly the liquid seeped out. Split into nine equal parts. Then each blob landed on Naruto’s paper taking shape of correct answers. And landing. The ink soaked into the paper. Mission complete.

Sakura opened her eyes with a smirk. Thankfully, Naruto only gaped at his sheet and didn’t voice his surprise. After that, she ignored Ibiki’s threats before the last question was given. Naruto still managed to complete his Talk-no-jutsu inspiring more candidates to stay. 

Written exam complete. They all pass. Leaving the room, Sakura stretched. Fighting in the forest will be way more fun than this snooze fest. Her knuckles itched to be used.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Ibiki-san, take a look at this one. All answers correct,” one sentinel brought Sakura's sheet to the proctor. He looked it over.

“Indeed, all correct. Kotetsu, who did… Saku Haruno cheat off?” he turned to a young man with a bandage on his face.

“Mmm, let’s see.. Oh.. he didn’t cheat!” the chunin said.

“Interesting…” Ibiki murmured then called a couple more of his sentinels. “What about his teammates?”

“Uchiha also has almost all correct answers,” one of them reported.

“Oh! Uzumaki has identical answers to Haruno! Even the writing style is the same!”

“Good. How did they share answers?” Ibiki was getting impatient. “Well?” he urged as the chunins hesitated.

“Well.. we didn’t see any contact made between them…” not the answer he wanted to hear.

“Interesting…” was the only thing Ibiki could say in this situation. Pinky caught his eye. Somehow the brat managed not only to figure the answers but share them too, without being caught. That would come in handy in T&I department.

━━━━━━━━━━


	12. The Forest of Death

Team seven walked to the training ground 44 with newfound anxiety. They didn’t know what was waiting for them. Except, Sakura. She knew exactly what predators will try to hunt them down.

“Dobe, how could you not understand the meaning of the exam?”

“I did understand! Believe it! And by the way, the answers just appeared on my sheet, teme.”

“You’re welcome, by the way,” Sakura scoffed.

“WHAAAT? So it was YOU, Saku? WOW! That was amazing! How did you do it??”

“Water Release.”

“You really are an idiot, Naruto. You are lucky it was Haruno. It could have easily been an enemy nin trying to give you fake intel,” Sasuke finally spoke for some reason effectively shutting Naruto up. Good idea, thought Sakura. She will definitely have to try faking information this way.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Tough guys like you usually leave their blood all over this forest,” Anko was up to her usual creepy self with Naruto. Sakura watched from the side. In the corner of her eye, she noticed Orochimaru too. He was masked as a regular Grass nin. The long tongue though was a dead giveaway. She wondered, why Anko didn’t raise an alarm right there and now?

She exhaled. Konoha was rotten, she was aware, but to this level to ignore an S-rank criminal? Did they even have security in this village? With a sigh, she placed a signature on the form all genin were provided. 

They will have five days in the forest, but Sakura planned to finish before the second night would even start. Soon her team stood before gate 44 with a heaven scroll securely hidden in Sakuras pouch.

“Plan. Let’s get as close to the tower as possible, rest there, and ambush any team that comes close,” she suggested quickly before the time for waiting could run out.

“Sounds good,” Sasuke nodded. Wow, they were actually good partners.

“Can you keep a fast pace, Naruto?” she turned to the blond.

“Believe it!”

“Alright, then let’s go high in the trees and sprint ahead,” both boys nodded.

Finally, the gate was unlocked and three of them used the tree climbing technique. They leaped from one branch to the next and actually made a good head start before first screams echoed over the forest.

Sakura smirked. She waited a long while to be in action again. Life of a genin in Konoha was beyond boring. Except for the little mishap in the Land of Waves. She was eager to use her new blades too. There were plenty of candidates around them. 

Suddenly, a huge gust of wind scattered them in three different directions. Sakura rolled in the air barely managing to land on her feet. She looked around but could spot neither Sasuke nor Naruto. Damn, this is not how it went last time. She wanted to leap forth in search of the boys, but without any sign, a huge snake swallowed her whole.

“What the... “ she yelped as her body slid down the gooey insides. “Fuck fuck fuck…” if she does nothing, the stomach acid will melt her. Sakura barely could move. Her hand managed to touch the wakizashi on her left leg. That’s exactly why having a blade on each leg was worth it.

“Let’s make some sashimi out of you!” she yelled out and started to slash with furry. As more space was available, she took the second blade to her right hand. Spinning swiftly she carved her way over the guts and scales when finally she plopped on the forest floor like some newborn doe.

On her hand and knees, she shook off the guts like a dog. Gross, but also so… so… exhilarating! If a mask wasn’t covering her face, a wicked grin would be visible. She felt her blood rushing with adrenalin. She felt alive.

Blades in hand Sakura rushed forward. She was about to stretch her senses to search for her boys when she felt a huge chakra burst and there was fire in the distance. Sasuke. It had to be him using his fireballs or something.

She increased her speed, but before she got there terrifying scream came from that direction. Pushing herself further, Sakura finally saw Sasuke shaking on a branch as he held onto his shoulder. She crouched by his side.

“Oh, what do we have here? Another birdy came to play?” a familiar voice reached her. Sakura instinctively stood up with blades ready. Once her eyes met with Orochimaru’s half-revealed face, she lowered her hands. Her shoulders visibly relaxed. It was really him.

“Oh, it’s you,” slipped out of her lips. Who else did she expect to see, honestly? Of course, it was Orochimaru, but still, seeing him in person threw her for a loop. 

“Oh? Foolish child!” Orochimaru curved his eyebrow only for a second before his killing intent came full force at Sakura. She shivered, but didn’t fall down or puke. Ah, her first serious killing intent in this world. A smirk stretched her lips. 

There was just something about a man inseminating you with another man’s seed that creates an unbreakable bond. A feeling of trust and safety. Sakura couldn’t be afraid of Orochimaru even if she wanted to. 

“How peculiar. Do you not feel fear, child?” he mused. She shrugged in response.

“Saku. Saku Haruno,” well at least she could still speak.

“Haruno, huh? Not a clan I am aware of and that is saying something. Before, it sounded like you recognized me?”

“It’s hard not to, with all the snakes and not to mention your tongue,” yes, she was having a casual conversation with an S-rank criminal and that felt nice. Sakura pondered about this feeling she was having. Why was she feeling closer to a criminal rather than her own team?

She could attack Orochimaru and be the hero! She could win with her blood technique for sure. And yet her blades rested in their sheaths. Her arms crossed over her chest. Her demeanor relaxed and calm.

Sakura blinked once and Orochimaru was right in front of her. His hand wrapped around her neck and lifted her to his eye level.

“Clever kid... Clever kids tend not to live long,” it was a clear threat. Sakura hung without wiggling, hands still crossed. The only sign that he was doing something, was the ragged breaths she released.

“Clever shinobi also make mistakes, when they get too ambitious and self-confident,” she croaked out. Mistake as Orochimaru clenched her neck tighter.

“Hmmm. What is that supposed to mean?” she tried to respond, but she couldn’t make a sound. The sannin rolled his eyes and dropped her to the ground as the curiosity was stronger than the need to kill. For now.

“Chem… hmm.. Well, if I were you, chem, I would get to the _point_ right away, without giving the opponent time to do anything that could ruin my plans,” she panted but managed to say a coherent thought. It was dangerous to give advice to a Legendary fuckin Sannin. Maybe danger should be her middle name? OR MAYBE she got a concussion to even consider such ideas…

“Are you saying that I am giving you an opportunity to counter me?” Orochimaru giggled thoroughly amused. Maybe he will spare her for at least making him chuckle.

“Nop. But you look like the type who talks too much during a fight instead of taking out the target. Self-confidence is cool and all, but sneaky people will use it to one-up you. Honestly, why do shinobi always talk so much instead of making their finishing blow? Or even worse, sharing precious information about their techniques! Kami, that is so stupid! Taunting will bite you in the ass one day…” she was ranting. Where did that come from Sakura couldn’t tell. As if all the thoughts she carried in her head decided to spill in one swoop onto the unaware pale man in front of her. Orochimaru blinked mildly stunned.

“Child! Shut it!” he finally managed to interrupt her train of thoughts. “Such foul mouth you have, boy,” snake clicked his tongue. “There is something wrong with you, isn’t there?” a smile like a grimace stretched across his face when the man leaned closer as if to inspect her. Like he could find a label with warning signs.

Sakura shrugged raising her hand to her neck. It started to glow healing green as she fixed the fractures he made. Yes, she intentionally flaunted her medical skills in front of him. “Well, not anymore! Like brand new, Snake-san,” she smirked. 

“Medical ninjutsu? How odd for a child to have knowledge of such techniques,” there was a weird glint in Orochimaru’s eyes. He outstretched an arm towards her. Sakura looked suspiciously at it.

It was almost like her hand moved on its own as she outstretched it towards the man. Snake grasped her wrist with his cold fingers. And then… CRACK. Sakura’s eyes widened at the sharp sensation but she didn’t make a sound. For a moment she was blinded with pain. Then the world took shape again. Her broken white bone poked through the fabric of her sleeve.

“Seriously?” she exhaled, her injured arm slightly trembled.

“Go on,” he encouraged Sakura to demonstrate her skills once more. She already regretted her initial display.

“That is exactly why it is stupid to simply demonstrate your skills,” she muttered under her breath while pushing the bone back under her skin. Her concentration was so high, that she forgot to _feel_ pain. After the bone was more or less back in place, she started the careful mending process with chakra.

A minute later she was patched up as if nothing happened. The only evidence of her injury was a hole in her sleeve and blood-soaked fabric. She turned the hand and bent her fingers testing out more for Orochimru’s eyes, than for herself.

“Marvellous,” sannin commented as he inspected her arm very much to Sakura’s silent protesting gaze. Maybe she was really brain-damaged to be doing this? No, she wasn’t. She loved the rush and excitement. And attention. For the first time, Orochimaru was actually interested solely in her. Or at least curious. That’s a compliment in Sakura’s book.

“Mmm, thanks?”

“You have potential, but you are still weak,” Orochimaru finally stepped away from her. Sasuke was passed out on the floor behind her and Naruto… she couldn’t see him at all, but judging by the silence he was passed out as well.

“Thanks again? Why are you being so nice to me?” there, she had to push it.

“Nice?” Orochimaru’s melodic voice echoed as he laughed. “My my, if this is what you call nice, I wonder…” he glanced back to look into her emerald eyes but didn’t comment further. Sakura tilted her head slightly, he didn’t explain. The snake disappeared in a purple puff of flames.

“So dramatic,” she puffed in disapproval. Then her eyes started to search for orange. There he was! Knocked out on a tree branch. Sakura exhaled heavily. Those two always jumped into a fight without care or consideration about those they leave behind… like nothing behind them even exists. 

Reluctantly she had to scoop the two boys up and got them under a tree root for cover. First things first, Sakura inspected Sasuke’s curse mark. It was already feeding on boys chakra. “Good luck with that,” she smirked with malic as her green glowing hand hovered over the mark. 

What she did was really bad. It was everything against what medical ninjutsu taught her. They must not use their power for harm. But she is a shinobi and every tool can and will be used at her disposal. What did she do? Sakura cut the chakra pathways that connected to the curse mark basically cutting its ‘food’ supply. Sasuke’s body visibly relaxed.

Eventually, it will heal back, but there will be at least some time now for Kakashi to place a protective seal on top. Maybe she should learn funjitsu? 

“Idiot... Fuckin avenger…” she pinched his arm, but Uchiha was still out. Well great! Even after all that she will have to carry out the exam herself. 

Then her attention turned to Naruto. He didn’t look like he was knocked out by any regular means. She didn’t spot any major injuries on him even after she finished her diagnostic technique. Suddenly, she remembered! Scrolls. Urgently she checked her pouch. Few, it was still there.

Sakura crossed her legs, closed her eyes, and concentrated. They need an earth scroll and to get the hell out of here. She felt animals rummaging about. There were no human bodies close by. She waited while meditating. Nothing much else she could do. They were already pretty close to the tower so it was a matter of time until a team would stumble by them. 

She could go on a hunt herself, but Naruto and Sasuke would probably meet another criminal while she is gone. Team seven’s luck can never be underestimated.

Sakura waited an hour. One hour was the limit for her patience. It was getting dark as the sun was setting behind tall trees. 

“Well, there are no cameras _inside_ the forest,” she concealed a smile as her hands made hand signs for a clone. Her replica took watch of the boys, while the real Sakura erased her chakra presence and disappeared in the shadows. 

Stalking up the trees she felt like a predator. Every little sound and smell caught her attention. She extended her senses slowly as there was much to keep track of around her in every direction. Plants. Animals. Bugs. Birds. Oh… what do we have here. Three adult bodies, so not any of rookie teams, she guessed. 

The targets were about 30 meters from here. Blood jutsu range was 18 meters. She ran faster. 25 meters. Still only three targets. 20 meters. 19. 18. 17. 16. 15. She stopped behind a wide tree trunk.

 _Okay… Calm… Sakura… you got this! First time trying it out on humans… but they are just bigger size animals…_ inhaling she snapped her fingers. After the clicking sound, three thuds followed. Sakura felt their hearts beating calm, no raised pressure. They were in a coma.

Slowly she approached noticing the bodies. Headbands had a symbol of Grass village. Good. Sakura quickly searched them. Regrettably, it was a heaven scroll she found. She looked down at the men. They were at her mercy. She could just kill them…

Still contemplating over life and death, Sakura burned the scroll to the crisp. As the wind scattered the ash her decision was made. Sakura closed her eyes and concentrated on the blood circulating in the bodies on the ground. No, she will not kill them, but she will leave them something. To commemorate them being her ‘firsts’. 

The first thing that came to her mind was a triangle. So be it. Her Yin seals are in that same shape, so why not. Focusing on the triangle shape outline Sakura let the blood clog and scar her victim’s faces. After a second each one was branded bellow their right eye with an empty triangle shape pointing down.

Let the hunt continue. Sakura left as quickly as she appeared. It took her another hour to hunt down another team. She was pleased to find an earth scroll on them. After leaving the same symbols on their faces, she returned to her fallen teammates.

“Useless…” she muttered. Now complete darkness engulfed them from head to toe. It’s good she wasn’t afraid of darkness. “Take Sasuke,” she ordered the clone, taking Naruto herself. Boys were securely placed on both Sakura’s backs.

She reached the tower without interruptions. Was this exam always this easy? There was no competition, with the exception of the ‘great white snake’.

Unceremonicly she dropped the boys on the floor and unwrapped two scrolls at the same time. With a poof of smoke, Iruka appeared.

“Congra… Saku-kun! What happened to Naruto and Sasuke??” he rushed right away to the boys. No, hello, no how she was. Sakura sighed straightening up her shoulders.

“We were attacked by a person called Orochimaru. When I caught up with Naruto and Sasuke, he had already done something to them, Iruka-sensei.”

“Oro... OROCHIMARU?!” her old sensei panicked for a moment before Kakashi and a couple of medics appeared. Then everything was like a blur. She was asked more questions on how, what, when. Sasuke was ushered away, Naruto was sent for examination. She... she was left forgotten in the tower.

There were four more days of the challenge left. Team seven finished in third place, just 5 hours after the exam started. Sakura found herself a shower and got rid of the snake gut stench that lingered wherever she went. Then she proceeded to clean and sharpen her blades as there was nothing more to do. 

No thank you, no nothing. She was told to shut her mouth about the business with sannin and wait. So typical of Konoha. Always hiding their dirty laundry. Displeased Sakura found her way to the rooftop to get some fresh air.

“Yo,” she lazily greeted Gaara who was there before her. Redheads sand swooped in spikes towards her. Sakura didn’t flinch. “Maaa, you always this moody?”

“I will kill you,” Gaara growled.

“Okay?” she tried guessing a response that he would like. Nothing. Sakura almost sighed. Maybe she was strong now, but she didn’t know Naruto’s trademark Talk-no-jutsu. It was not her job to mess with the sand psycho. Not her problem, she told herself. So, instead of holding a conversation, she laid down on the tiles for that fresh air she came to get.

Sun was coming up illuminating the sky bright red. There were a couple of clouds floating above. It would be cool if she could move them with her bare hand... 

“What are you doing?” Gaara spat the words at her. Oh, she almost forgot the boy was there. His sand still on guard spikes aiming at her.

“Watching clouds.”

“Why?”

“Gets me thinking. Do you want to join me, Gaara of the Sand? I heard there aren’t many clouds in Suna because of how dry it is,” she said without expectations for him following through. Yet, the boy looked up. He still stood tall, but at least his sand swirled back to the gourd.

“Well, now it really looks like we are friends or something,” she whispered amused.

━━━━━━━━━━

Day five. Survivors stood before Lord Hokage. Sasuke had a new addition to his curse mark. Not like Sakura cared about it. Naruto was also awake. Both boys went over an array of emotions. Surprise. Fear. Anger. Acceptance. Yet not one of them thanked her for dragging their asses to the tower… She was irritated.

Originally, Sakura planned to take it easy with the preliminaries. Not anymore. If no one wanted to give her respect, she will take it by force. Quickly she devised a plan against each participant in case her destiny had changed. The most bothersome would be Gaara of course, so she really hoped to avoid facing the monster of Suna.

Sasuke’s fight was… interesting. With curse mark secured, he used sharingan and his other usual jutsu. So he has yet to taste the mark’s power. Uchiha yet again was the victor and returned to the balcony with a smug expression.

“Nice one, teme!”

“Good job, Sasuke-kun,” Kakashi also nodded. The masked man was leaning behind them on a wall, arms crossed. It should be reassuring to have your sensei by your side, but not for Sakura. Arms also crossed she watched the field. Her eyes were seriously focused. She didn’t talk with her team at all. Team. Ha. Nothing has really changed. It is still her and them on separate sides. 

“Saku Haruno versus Ino Yamanaka,” Hayate announced following with a cough. _Good, this will be easy..._ she thought. Without a single word, Sakura went down to the arena. Surprisingly, what got her attention, was a silent ‘Good luck’ from Shikamaru, as she passed the boy.

“Saku-kun, I like you, but I will still kick your butt!” Ino grinned taking her place in front of Sakura. No way, she would let a Yamanaka in her mind. There was no saying just how much Ino could see. How much of her lies she could figure out. Sakura will have to take care of this quickly. She didn’t say a word in response. Ino had no chances to provoke her. It was actually a bit sad, how she still tried. 

“Begin!” Hayate said.

“Get ready, gorgeous, your mind will be...” Ino didn’t get to finish her sentence. As soon as the proctor gave the signal, Sakura was already making her move. She disappeared and reappeared behind Ino. Senbon in hand she stabbed the blond right to the neck pressure point to paralyze her.

Thud. Body landing on the floor sounded eerie in the completely silent arena.

“Chem. Saku Haruno wins!” jonin announced while the medics rushed to scrape the young Yamanaka from the floor. Sakura placed hands in her pockets and leisurely returned to the balcony.

“Mm, Ino is okay, right?” Shikamaru asked with slight hesitation.

“Yup. Paralyzed.”

“Damn. You’ll have to teach me that one day, Saku,” Nara snickered

“Saku-kun, where did you learn that trick with senbon?” Kakashi asked when she joined her team. At least Sasuke gave her an approving nod.

“Haku. I trained on my water clones. Medical ninjutsu knowledge also helped,” she explained casually not too willing to talk today. Her mood was sour even after proceeding to the final stage.

“Maaa, pinky, you like to copy techniques? Maybe you are Uchiha underneath?” Sasuke was not amused, neither was Sakura.

“No!” they both said in sync. Strange force clutched her heart at sensei’s words. She was an Uchiha in her past life. By name only. Still, it was a reminder, not of a pleasant nature.

“Why shouldn’t I adopt techniques that are so effective?” she said in a defiant tone. 

“Pinky?” Naruto beamed restraining his laughter. She would have hit him to the Land of Waterfalls for the comment, but the next fight started.

“We’ll talk later, Saku-kun,” Kakashi sent them an eye crinkle and ruffled her hair for good measure. Sakura flinched away as soon as she could. Her hand instinctively brushed over her hair to place it back where it should be. 

“Rude.” Kakashi ignored her remark and continued to read his book instead.

━━━━━━━━━━


	13. Plains of Obscurity

Kakashi found himself in a tight spot. All of his students passed to the next round. He was incredibly proud and happy. Not to mention the bragging rights he had over other jonins. But with the win came the biggest question - who will prepare his students for the fighting part. 

Thankfully, Naruto was taken under Jiraya’s wing. Or mane of hair would be more precise when talking about the gray-haired sannin. Sasuke needed someone with sharingan to guide him. So it had to be Kakashi the one to teach him. 

That left Saku. His most promising and, he could not deny, favorite student. The boy had a unique set of skills for Konoha. That would be a big asset, but not when it came to training. There were few with water nature skills. Prime candidates that popped in Kakashi’s mind, unfortunately, were involved in the chunin exams one way or the other. 

Aside from nature release, he considered kenjutsu masters. Yet again no candidates available. Medical ninjutsu was not even in the picture without Lady Tsunade in the village. Kakashi started to ponder the other way around - who was available to be a teacher at this moment?

Kakashi exhaled heavily. No one worthy came to mind. Half of the village was involved in the exams. And half of jonins had their own teams to train. He was so screwed.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura laid on the grass considering her options. She almost felt bad for doing nothing as Lee got his bones broken. Almost. The boy will be healed. He will be one of the strongest jonin in Konoha eventually.

For now, she had better things to waste her peace of mind on. Pairings for the upcoming fights were announced at the end of preliminaries. 

Uzumaki Naruto vs Hyuga Neji  
Kankurou vs Aburame Shino  
Temari vs Haruno Saku  
Nara Shikamaru vs Dosu Kinuta  
Gaara vs Uchiha Sasuke

Someone would have to fight twice in the second round. If they will even reach it. Considering the timeline followed her past events precisely, there will be no second round after the last fight. And that lead Sakura thinking about the Hokage.

Lord Third had no warm place in her heart. She did not have bonds with him like Naruto. She honestly hated the old man. His death will bring Tsunade to the village, the only good thing he will do for Konoha. 

The prospect of meeting the Slug Princess again was thrilling. Surprisingly, not because she was her shisho in the past. Fooling Tsunade will be Sakura’s greatest achievement and that was the exciting part. 

Another, more mischievous idea came to the pink-haired girl. She decided to make Tsunade a _small_ favor, even if that will go against her decision not to affect events based on her past life knowledge. 

“This little _developement_ will surely benefit everyone…” she said to herself. After it is done, Sakura will consider her debt to Tsunade fully repaid. Maybe it will bring chaos and cause Tsunade even more trouble, or maybe not. Sakura had her mind already set. A plan took shape in her little clever head. 

“Hmmm… but to make it work, I will have to use the month I have for training…” she considered. Meaning that she will have to carefully shake off any trainers or stalkers, before proceeding with her own reconnaissance mission. 

“No time to waste then!”

━━━━━━━━━━

“Saku-kun, there you are,” Kakashi called for his student as the pink-haired boy exited the library. Just like he could be found by the memorial stone, Saku tended to lurk halls of Konoha library religiously.

“Sensei,” the boy stopped in place, hands in his pockets, but back straight and not slouched at all.

“I assume you are already preparing for your upcoming fight?” the boy paused before answering. Was that hesitation? Or careful picking of words?

“Yes?” Saku answered. His student was clearly up to something.

“Maa, pinky, you stealing another technique?”

“NO! This one is my own!” Kakashi smirked. A-ha, so the boy is creating something himself. Interesting. The boy was something else.

“I see. Now, about your training…” Kakashi didn’t finish as Saku interrupted him.

“Sensei, it’s fine. I know you are training Uchiha and Naruto probably found someone as crazy as he is to train with. I already have my training schedule sorted.”

Kakashi didn’t blink. Well, he expected as much out of Saku. He would have even accepted the boy’s words if not for the dead stare his student was giving him.

“Saku-kun, I found a teacher for Naruto. I can find one for you too if...”

“Pass. I am all sorted, sensei.”

“Pinky…” the boy already waved as he leaped towards the roofs. Kakashi exhaled folding his arms. This didn’t feel right. He felt like he just abandoned his student. His teammate.

Kakashi let out another heavy sigh. The boy said it was okay… He would be stupid to believe it. Yet part of his mind wanted to let the comfortable lie make it easier. Take the guilt away.

 _Hmmm… I will have to make this up to the boy somehow…_ Kakashi decided surprised by his own level of care for that little brat. How did he manage to get so close to his students? He tried to push them away on any possible occasion, but the trio already clawed to his heart. Pain for disappointing Saku hurt, but it also felt nice. Pain meant that there was still something in his hollow heart.

━━━━━━━━━━

It took two days for Sakura to draw maps from her memory. To analyze possible actions. Plan A, B, C, and Z for good measure. Cover all her bases. And all of that just so she could _start_ stalking!

Sakura perched on a tree branch diminishing her presence to a level of a fly. Her eyes were fixed on a stone wall of the Hokage mountain. She waited. In two hours the surface of the rock shivered like a mirage. A man with a mask stepped from it. Root entrance was still where she remembered it to be.

Watching couple more hours Sakura confirmed that indeed it was an entrance to Root. She recognized some of the masks. Good. Same way, she monitored two more entrances she could remember. 

The second one on her list turned out to be used the least by the operatives. The only problem was, that it was located on the outskirts of the village by some crop fields. If she would be spotted and killed, nobody would notice.

When the sun started its descent, Sakura stretched and decided to return home. She had four weeks to scope out this area and devise her infiltration strategy. Her steps were drowned by tall crops. She walked slowly as to not use chakra and attract unwanted attention.

“Kraa! Kraa!” she flinched turning around. There was a black bird perched on a fence. Their eyes met. Both of them tilted their heads in sync.

“Mmm… I better go...” she whispered looking at the creature with suspicion. Yes, it looked like a regular bird, but Sakura was not taking any chances. With Root, it could as well be a masked agent watching her. She stepped back slowly.

━━━━━━━━━━

After the encounter with her feathery friend, Sakura avoided that area for a whole week. Just a tad bit paranoid, she made a show of training in her regular spot. This was what she was supposed to be doing either way, so no harm to actually attempt learning something new.

Sakura had a specific technique in mind already. For it to work she just needed to gain more speed. More physical strength. More everything. With extra weights on her legs and arms, she trained from dawn till dusk. Only when she could no longer see clearly her own hands in front of her, Sakura would go rest.

Ultimately, she couraged to spy once more. Her cover in place, she tracked people who came in and out of the hideout. How often would they come. What gestures would they make. What specific masks favored this entrance. How long would the mask be gone for. Would they return the same way they excited. All information was carefully cataloged in her mind.

“Kraa! Kraa!” she almost fell down from a tree as the sound spooked the living sages out of her. Her green eyes peered at the bird. She suspected it to be the same bird as before. Alarm bells rang loud in her head. Yet she still opened her mouth.

“What do you want, bird-san?”

Black beady eyes blinked tracking her. Sharp beak pecked on the feathers of his wing. It sure acted like a normal bird. It looked like a crow or something. It was pretty big too. Silently the bird took flight without making another sound. She stared at the black dot in the distance of the sky. Weird little thing.

The third time she spotted the same bird was after two more days had passed. Sakura was making her way across the field when she noticed black feathers on the ground. The girl stopped and picked one of them up. Black feather with a slight blue and purple tint to it. It looked very much like the coat of the bird she seen before.

This looked like a trap. It smelled like a trap. It sounded like a trap. Therefore it must be a trap. So of course Sakura followed the trail of feathers. It lead to the forest. She reasoned, that if it was Root, they would have captured her without such convoluted games.

Yes, it was indeed the same bird. The thing wiggled on the ground dropping even more black feathers. There was a kunai in its wing and a trap wire wrapped around its little black legs. Sakura looked around and extended her senses. No people that she could spot. Some birds, a wolf or two, bugs, rabbit. Carefully she stepped closer.

“Okey, I will help you, if you stay steady, crow-san,” the bird listened to her words as if he could actually understand her. But then it started to flap its wings in furry. 

“Kraaa! Kraa! Kraaaaa!” even the sound it made sounded angry. She paused. Her head suddenly snapped to the side. Birds trashing tugged on the trap wire that it was bound with and that in turn activated another trap. Kunai launched at her before Sakura figured it out. She raised her arm and four of the sharp objects bore into her skin - hand, arm, elbow, shoulder.

She crouched down hissing from her stupidity rather than pain. Sakura was still too slow, was the thought in her mind as a trap wire also wrapped around her body from all directions. She sent the bird a scoff. Well now both of them were in the same dire situation.

“Well done, omen of death,” she puffed. The bird snapped his beak. She raised her eyebrow. “Are.. you laughing at me?” the bird made the same sound. She took it as a yes. Exhaling she laid on the ground biding her time. No enemy appeared to collect her. Interesting.

The bird started to move again. She glanced at him prepared to try and dodge another attack if it came to that. Although, she wanted to face the one who laid the trap more. The bird didn’t trash as before. After a couple of tries, the sharp beak grasped to the kunai handle and pulled it out. Smart little feather ball.

Without the hindrance, it wiggled out of the wire and perched on the ground free from the constraints. Black eyes bore into her expectantly.

Sakura blinked. Was she really gonna follow some birds example? “Fine,” she exhaled reluctantly. She had to shift more to reach the kunai’s in her arm, but eventually, all of them were pulled out. She wiggled mimicking the bird and traps fell loose on the grass.

“Happy now?” she sighed while her other hand started healing her wounds.

“ **Not particularly, kraa!** “

Sakura didn’t flinch or snap her head at the bird. She already figured that it was no simple creature. But the voice was unknown to her. It didn’t sound like any person’s voice.

“Why is that?” she continued the weird conversation to buy some more time for her mind to think.

“ **I am not a crow, kraa!** ”

“Yes, that much I figured. Why are you taking its shape to talk to me? Show yours…” she had to cover her face as the bird tried almost playfully to pluck her eyes out. 

“ **I. Am. A. Raven. KRAA! Kraaaa!** ” oh. 

“Okay! Okay! Sorry, raven-san!” she hurried to correct herself. The silly bird was getting on her nerves. She was also annoyed that she had no idea who was behind this. 

“ **That’s better, child.** ” The bird landed on the top of her head and craned to peer at her eyes. “ **You are a fast learner, Kra!** ” 

“Thank you?” 

“ **Mokuhi is my name.** ” 

“Saku Haruno,” birds stare was unnerving. “Mmmm.. so what do you want with me?” she dared to ask folding arms on her chest. Having the bird on her head felt like she was some sort of scarecrow. 

“ **Your soul was calling for me. I must bring you to the Lord Black Raven Sage.** ” 

“Lord… Raven?” she blinked furiously. Old Sakura would have ran away. New Sakura… well she would have _walked_ away. But Saku… he was more adventurous. He was a machine. He wanted to learn anything and everything. “Mmm.. so you are not following orders of another shinobi?” she asked a pretty dumb question, to be fair. Who would answer that truthfully? 

“ **No.** ” 

“Where is that Lord of yours?” 

“ **Land of Ravens.** ” she rolled her eyes. Of course. 

“Will you bring me back afterward?” 

“ **Yes. I will bring you back.** ” 

Sakura exhaled. It will either be a trap or an actual Land of Ravens with a bunch more weird birds. She felt confident in her ability to defend against an enemy. And if it is only birds… well she’ll manage. “Alright. I will go to that Land of Ravens you speak off.” 

“ **KRA!** ” the bird fluttered its wings on her head and then both of them disappeared in a puff of smoke. 

When the smoke cleared, Sakura found herself standing knee-deep in dark blue water. All around her were dead white trees also somewhat submerged. The sky was gray. 

Looking around, Sakura channeled chakra to her feet and now stood securely on the surface of the water. The annoying bird, Mokuhi, leaped from her head spreading his wide wings. Silently he fluttered ahead. She followed. 

As they moved more and more ahead, Sakura noticed more birds perched on the dead trees. All ravens. Some bigger than others. There was one completely white one. There were also more blue or black ones. She tried not to stare. 

Shortly, the trees were black from the number of birds on them. Little beings fluttered like leaves in the wind. She was probably getting closer to that Raven Lord. Oh! She perked up noticing a figure in the distance. 

But it was no person! Well... maybe? As she got closer, Sakura realized that it was a human-like raven. As tall as Kakashi with big wings spread behind him and a katana secured to his waist. Feathers covered everything except his face. The color of his feathers was dark blue, almost black. 

Mokuhi landed on a branch that poked out of the water before this huge person-bird. “ **Riku, I brought a human for our Lord, KRA!** ” he said. Sakura stopped right behind him at a respectful distance from what appeared to be a person-bird named Riku. Behind him, she noticed a white throne. She had a suspicion that it was made out of bones. 

“ **Bow before the Raven sage!** ” cawed the one with huge blue-black wings and longest claws she had ever seen. He had a human-like face, that was deceivingly angelic. Sakura followed his instruction and bowed in front of the empty throne. 

She heard a flutter of wings and a collective “KRAA! KRAA!” around her. There was now a presence in front of her. She felt a strong chakra consume everything. It wasn’t dark per se, but it wasn’t warm and fuzzy either. Sakura didn’t have enough words to name the exact feeling that rushed over her skin. 

“ **Rise.** ” 

Slowly Sakura lifted her head. She managed not to gape as her eyes fell on the sage on the throne. There was a humanoid raven with brown eyes lined with red. He was double size than a regular man would be. Wearing only a grey wrap, and red rope across his chest and biceps. The ropes were done in an intricate shibari style. His wings were draped behind him as if they were a cape instead of actual wings. 

“ **I am Black Raven Sage. I welcome you, child of change.** ” his voice was low and smooth. It smothered Sakura in a warmth she never expected to hear in such a place. 

“Saku Haruno. Thank you for having me,” she bowed again shortly on instinct. 

“ **Mokuhi. Why did you bring _her_ to our Sacred Plains of Ankoku?**” 

“ **This humans consciousness is ready to understand our teachings.** ” 

“ **How old are you, Saku of the shinobi realm?** ” 

“Twelve.” 

“ **I see. And how old is your soul?** ” sage’s eyes drilled into her. She could not lie under this scrutinizing gaze. 

“40 years old.” 

“ **Ahh, indeed you have progressed significantly down your path. We, ravens, are creatures of metamorphosis and symbolize change. You have undergone a major change, haven’t you?** ” 

“Yes, sage-sama. I… I died and then was alive again...” she admitted. For the first time in years, she said this crazy thought aloud. 

“ **Ravens bring the secrets from the underworld. Particularly the secrets of transformation. Your soul has a connection with us it seems, child. But I sense you are still lost on your life’s journey?** ” 

“Yes. I do not know what to do… with all the knowledge I have, I still feel lacking… I want to know more! I want to experience more… I want to be more...” Sakura felt like she was carving her heart out in front of the dark birds. Very much appropriate to be connected with the omens of death as her inner world felt like one never-ending pool of darkness and carnage. 

“ **Saku Haruno, of the shinobi realm, I offer you a contract with ravens of Sacred Plains of Ankoku. We will be your teachers and your allies. We will keep your secrets.** ” 

“But… I am not a good person... Why would you want to associate with me?” she said honestly perplexed. She really didn’t consider herself anything special. 

“ **Raven does not care if _this_ is for good or bad. Higher powers have acknowledged your progress in your workings and have sent us to instruct you further in the arts you pursue.**” 

Sakura wondered. Why was she even hesitating? Being offered a contract with a summoning animal is something special, she should be honored. Yet, doubt was strong within her. Maybe this was a trick? She was offered knowledge… teachers… They say she is worthy but is she? 

“ **What is your answer?** ” 

“Yes, sage-sama. I want to be in contract with your kind.” 

“ **Wise choice. Place your birth name on the scroll,** ” he instructed as another raven like man with purple glowing circles on his arms and purple eyes presented her with the scroll. 

_Sakura Haruno_ she wrote in her own blood on the paper. With the last stroke of her finger, she felt a strange pang in her chest. It was instantly replaced by fuzzy warmth. Then there was a tingling on her arm. She urgently pushed her sleeve up. 

On the pale skin, there was now a black tattoo of two wings. Between them was a strange symbol, she had never seen before. Sakura looked up at Mokuhi for an explanation. 

“ **When you need raven wisdom, summon us with blood brushed over that seal.** ” 

“ **You can use hand signs too,** ” said the raven with the scroll as he was putting it away. Sakura slowly nodded committing to memory the motions he demonstrated for her. 

“ **Now, let the introductions commence! KRA!** ” raven sage almost ordered with his dominant voice. Other birds echoed his call in a cacophony of shrieks.

━━━━━━━━━━ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okey. I had to do a good amount of research for this one. I considered very seriously what animal to connect with Sakura. Here is my reasoning:
> 
> * First, it had to be a bird  
> * Then I looked into blood inclined birds, but none seemed worthy of our Saku  
> * Then I searched for the smartest birds, it turned out to be crows & ravens  
> * Crows are not an option because they are already an Itachi thing  
> * After looking into ravens this quate convinced me that it is a perfect choice for Sakura:  
>  _People who have the raven as their spirit animal are wise, perceptive, intuitive, fearless, creative, playful, rebellious, curious, learn quickly and are a bit mischievous as well. They enjoy solitude, seek stillness and quiet and are perfectly happy in their own company. These people are able to blend into the shadows when they want to, and are good at discerning danger from safety._
> 
> Black Raven Sage:  
>   
> [Art Reference](https://thearcanagame.fandom.com/wiki/The_Hanged_Man)
> 
> Riku:  
>   
> [Art Reference](https://gvin.artstation.com/projects/qAvan2)
> 
> Raven contract scroll keeper:  
>   
> [Art Reference](https://www.deviantart.com/georgetheodorides92/art/Raven-man-554835746)
> 
> Raven summoning seal:  
>   
> [Art Reference](https://www.facebook.com/SeaOfInkTattooStudio/photos/a.291995787910065/529502844159357/?type=1&theater)


	14. Training Montage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A group of ravens is called an "unkindness" or "conspiracy".

“Why is there so much water here?”

“ **Why is the sky blue?** ”

Sakura rolled her eyes at the sassy raven. He wasn’t very helpful. Thankfully, a white-feathered bird pitched in.

“ **We are associated with water, or lack of it,** ” he meaningfully pecked his beak to the dead wood beneath his sharp talons.

“Thank you, Yuki,” Sakura smiled at her new favorite raven. Mokuhi cawed as if insulted. For some reason, this reminded her of Kakashi. Her mood visibly plummeted. 

“ **So, Pinky, what are you thinking?** ” she winced. He even used the same nickname as her sensei. 

“Emm… You just reminded me that people will notice if I am missing for too long,” she gave an excuse that was actually true. ANBU was still tracking her once in a while, but with chunin exams going on and the whole Orochimaru fiasco, they didn’t have to check on her as often thankfully.

“ **I am Mokuhi, the keeper of your secrets, I can show in your stead until you return,** ” bird announced as his form started to shift and change. Shortly an exact copy of Sakura stood on the branch looking down at her.

“Ohhh… that actually looks pretty great! Mmmm, can you pretend that I am training or meditating?”

“ **Can the birds _fly_?**” his attitude she will have to get used to. 

“Great. And.. you better just stay in the training grounds. Don’t go back to my home...” she casually added. Her copy nodded without comment. Then with a familiar poof of smoke, it just vanished. There was a single feather left behind. Sakura turned to Yuki to continue learning about this strange realm.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura learned, that the Plains of Ankoku were hidden in the border of Land of Fire. They were once a battlefield during great shinobi wars, not by coincidence. Ravens welcome the war with the carnage that follows it. Blood of fallen shinobi keeps them fed and entertained.

None of the warriors ever understood the significance of where they were located. Simply by stepping on these plains, a person signs his death wish. Sakura was amazed at how the realm of ravens was hidden in plain sight.

Yes, there were structures _under_ the water, unusual population of ravens too and no one ever questioned it! Maybe there was something else obscuring the common sense?

“Tell me more about your kind, Yuki,” she asked the white raven.

“ **Well, we are in a way considered as healers of the spirit. Besides our mischievous nature, we do feel empathy, Saku. But we do not have the patience for two-faced dishonesty,** ” he added a bit more stern forcing Sakura to look away. 

She noticed, that these black feather balls were a proud and honorable bunch. She didn’t lie to them but did not bother explaining her situation either. Hearing more she felt like she indeed related to ravens way of thinking.

“Yuki, why was it my spirit that called for your kind?”

“ **You already know the answer to your question.** ”

“Hmm. Well yes, because I died and was born again, is that it?”

“ **Yes. Spiritual rebirth. It is different from reincarnation. Your desires and tendencies lead you to a new fresh life at Rebirth.** ”

“Hmm. Desires? I do not know what I desire.”

“ **People walking the path of the _Mystery_ are often sought out by Raven spirit. We prefer to share our knowledge with someone who appreciates the depth and breadth of the Adept, including the challenges that await along that Path.**”

And now the bird was starting to talk in riddles. Obvious ones, but still not as straight forward as she would have hopped.

“Alright… Yuki, do you have special skills?” she changed the subject intentionally. It was still something she wanted to find out. Sakura stayed to learn, so the first step was to find out what exactly she had to work with.

“ **I am physically weak, but I can create a conspiracy of myself in the number hundreds.** ”

“Wow! That’s impressive, Yuki!” she awed. Sakura already had plenty of ideas on how to take advantage of the white raven.

“ **So, young Saku, how may we be of service to you?** ”

“Hmmm. I want to infiltrate a headquarters of exceptionally skilled and sneaky shinobi. So I guess, I need to up my skills on blending in with the shadows. No, more than that. With the air itself. As I will surely die if spotted,” she pondered without much worry in her voice. The prospect of death didn’t scare her. 

“ **Let me introduce you to Shinjun.** ”

In days that followed, Sakura met at least a dozen of her new companions. She trained with them and it turned out to be much harder to fool these clever birds than some of the shinobi she had met in Konoha.

Riku even spared with her once. He was quick in dodging her sword in contrast to how big of a target he was. Ravens were very agile and gracious in their skills.

“ **You need to do better, pink chick,** ” he laughed as she didn’t dodge his sharp claw in time. 

“Uhg. Your aerial skills are beyond me,” she puffed out of breath as she landed in the water. The liquid around her turned red.

“ **Oh? Do you plan on doing aerial moves, pink chick?** ”

“Maybe,” she smirked under her mask as the last of her wounds slowly healed up. Indeed, the technique she developed for her chunin fight will need some maneuvering in the air. And not only because of Temari’s annoying wind jutsu. So that is what she learned next.

On her last day, Sakura bowed before the raven sage.

“Thank you for everything,” she said with pure gratitude.

“ **I wish you luck, Saku of shinobi realm,** ” were his parting words. Sakura still wondered what was with all the bindings on the sage’s body, but she didn’t dare to ask just yet.

━━━━━━━━━━

‘Sakura’ walked casually across Konoha with sharp eyes catching onto any suspicious movement. Mokuhi enjoyed his time in the leaf village. He played his part well as he already observed the girl for some time before approaching her. He was aware of her movements and manners. It was far too easy to imitate shinobi, from his perspective.

“Saku-kun! Saku-kun! Here you are!” some blond made a beeline towards him. ‘Sakura’ stopped and waited. 

“Yo.”

“Don’t worry, Saku-kun! I forgive you for the preliminaries,” the busty girl smiled sweetly at him. Mokuhi had to wonder what happened between her and his new pink-haired friend.

“Okay?” he offered casually.

“Well, almost forgive you! You know, I really wanted to be a chunin, but I will try in the next exams for sure!”

“Good for you?”

“Why don’t we go get some lunch and _then_ I will fully forgive you?” she blinked at him. Mokuhi probably should have declined, but he didn’t. Free food is free food. So he went along with it.

“Oh, Saku-kun, I thought you didn’t like spicy?” the girl said surprised as he ordered some curry.

“Special occasion?” ‘Sakura' shrugged brushing off the suspicion.

“Saku! You are so sweet! This is our first date, of course, it is a special occasion!”

Mokuhi blinked. A date, huh? Interesting concept. As a raven, he would rather dance and shriek on the girl instead of sharing a meal.

━━━━━━━━━━

Home. Konoha didn’t feel like home when she returned. It was the middle of the night when her figure appeared from a cloud of smoke. Sakura was tired but overall happy with her progress. She felt ready for her last exam but it wasn’t only that what she was preparing for.

“I need a drink,” she exhaled. Who would stop her? Sakura grinned as her body morphed into that of an adult. Without a mask, the face of some future shinobi she had met in the past. Her clothing plain. 

She made her way into the buzzing city. Her legs brought her to one of many crowded bars. Thankfully, there were a lot of foreign shinobi around, so nobody paid much attention to another unfamiliar face. 

Perched by the bar Sakura ordered her favorite sake. The drink was cold and tasted sweet. So refreshing. Nostalgia plagued her mind as she remembered drinking with Tsunade. Shisho always liked a good cup of sake.

“...did you hear, that Uchiha boy will battle against Suna’s monster...” she caught some conversations between other drinkers. Of course that is the only thing these simple-minded fools could talk about. Nobody even considered her as a contender.

With one gulp she finished her drink and left. It was beyond frustrating to listen to all the gossip about the clan kids. Was she the only non-clan kid left in the competition? Looked like it.

More determined than before, Sakura returned to her usual training grounds. Transformation dropped somewhere on the way. As she reached the field, Sakura felt eyes on her back. ANBU? Didn’t they have better things to do? 

_You better watch carefully!_ she snickered in her mind with bitterness. They will not see her new skills here. No way. Sakura proceeded with her usual strength and dexterity regiment. Only when her silent watchdog left, did she test out her new skills.

A whip made of water formed in her hand. She vicariously slashed it at her own clones. As the copy disappeared she felt the pain her attacks caused. Good. She was pleased. Then she focused on her neglected swords to have some fun.

Training alone required creativity, but she didn’t complain. She wouldn’t complain. Soon they all will know what Saku Haruno was capable of. By the sunrise, Sakura yearned for more sake. And that she got as a reward for all the training she was doing. Hey, maybe it was morning for some people, but nobody cared about a person drinking so early in a shinobi village. At least one benefit of living here.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Hokage-sama,” masked figure kneeled in front of the lord third in his office.

“Report, Boar,” the old man ordered.

“As you requested, I kept tail on Saku Haruno. The boy is training alone as before.”

“Hmmm, didn’t Kakashi arrange a trainer for him?”

“Em, it didn’t look like it.”

“Ah, Kakashi, what are you thinking?” Sarutobi murmured dragging on his pipe. “Anything else of note?”

“The boy trains and sleeps. Nothing else.”

“Very dedicated. You have to be when you are left alone. What do you think of the boy’s skills, Boar?”

“Average, Lord Hokage.”

“Oh? That is strange. I was under the impression the boy has potential.”

“Well… he does not show anything extraordinary, when _I am watching_.”

“Ooooh. I see. Do you think the boy has caught on to you?”

“Yes, Hokaga-sama. He tenses up when I appear. The change is very slight, but I have noticed it.”

Sarutobi snickered amused buy the young civilian. Clever boy intentionally is hiding his skills, but he had to wonder why? Maybe the boy didn’t know _who_ was watching him? It was a pretty clever tactic, in case a competitor was scoping him, what Sarutobi couldn’t put past Suna nin. Old man accepted such reasoning and dismissed his masked guard.

━━━━━━━━━━

One week was left before the final part of exams would start. Sakura’s legs throbbed from exertion. She was wheezing on the wet ground. There was water all around her. It wasn’t supposed to be in this training ground, but there it was. Glistening in the sun. Her new technique was complete.

How effective will it be against Temari was unpredictable, but Sakura decided to go for show-off points. Her goal was to become a chunin. That will involve not only showing her power. She will have to show her skills in tactics and foresight.

In past, Shikamaru became a chunin even after he intentionally forfeited his battle. That little smart ass… She envied the guy. Looking at the clouds, Sakura wondered what was he doing now. Training probably. 

“Time go faster, for Kami’s sake!” she whined pushing of the ground. The only way to make it go faster was to train even more. So she did.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “ **People walking the path of the _Mystery_ are often sought out by Raven spirit. We prefer to share our knowledge with someone who appreciates the depth and breadth of the Adept, including the challenges that await along that Path.**”
> 
> Arcanum actually means "Mystery". Sakura is walking her own path of mystery within this story.


	15. Underneath the Underneath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Graphic content ahead. Buckle up buckaroos!

Orochimaru was dressed in his usual plain grey garbs with a black polo and pants underneath. Long black hair tied in a ponytail to keep it out of the way. His arms were crossed and golden eyes fixed on a single scroll on his metal operating table.

Was this really happening? Young Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki, the Sixth Hokage of the Village Hidden in the leaf, provided _him_ with a body of his closest friend, to do whatever he wants with? It had to be a ruse of sorts. 

Long pale fingers undid the seal. A mummy-like body appeared with a poof of smoke bandaged and wrapped with sealing tags. Carefully, one by one he undid the seals. They prevented any decay, but there was no need for that on his table. The whole table held within itself even stronger preservation curses.

He took a scalpel from a side table and with skilled precision, cut over the bandages covering _her_ face. As they fell down he paused. Tsunade’s trademark transformation technique was no longer active revealing all that was hidden. Dark circles around her eyes. Wrinkles.

He continued to cut over her chest and hands. Then had to pause again. Carefully, Orochimaru put down his scalpel and inspected deep cut on her wrist.

 _What an odd choice. It had to be painful and slow…_ he pondered. His eye slits sharpened noticing a bunch of old scars going horizontally on the same wrist. Without any facial expressions, he continued to ‘unwrap’ his new toy until Sakura laid bare in front of him.

There were more scars for him to find. And not the ones left from a battle. He noticed them on her thighs. Even her abdomen. 

“Hmmm..” he murmured as his long finger traced her pale skin. It almost matched his own but was grayer in comparison. “Sakura, Sakura… how did you last as long as you did?” he asked rhetorically. Usually, sannin was concerned about the inner workings of a body. Sometimes, on rare occasions, he was interested in the minds as well.

In this case, he honestly was puzzled why the girl tortured herself and didn’t ‘finish the job’ sooner. What was going on in her head? He recalled vividly how twelve years ago Sasuke had come to him with an odd request…

“You want to restore your clan?” Orochimaru raised his eyebrow then with a wicked grin and a chuckle followed up. “Well, I am flattered, Sasuke-kun, but I am not interesssssted in you _that_ way,” he snickered with a hand over his mouth like some school girl.

“No! I have someone who will be the vessel,” the boy, no a man, scoffed.

“A vessssssel? My my, who that may be?” he mused with mild interest.

“Sakura.”

“Oh? And you came to me for advice on how _those_ things work? Hmm, indeed, I don’t think we had _the talk_ with you yet,” Orochimaru continued to tease.

“I have no interest in engaging in coitus with her. It will have to be done in a lab.” the boy was cold as ever. Any emotions hidden behind a carefully crafted mask if he even had any emotions left. 

“Sssssasuke-kun, have you tried to close your eyes and call her ‘Itachi’, that might do the trick,” Orochimaru stepped aside to dodge a katana swing from the last Uchiha.

“Don’t. Even. Say. His. Name. Snake.” finally he had gouged an emotion from Sasuke.

“My my, why so touchy? Did I hit a nerveeee?” 

Sasuke drew his katana back and exhaled deeply as if trying to reign his emotions back.

“I will owe you.”

“Fine,” sannin grinned wider and gave Sasuke an empty cup. “Fill it up. Do you need instructions?” he smirked again. The boy only scoffed and left to another room. 

In two days the ‘vessel’ arrived in flesh. Sakura Haruno. Orochimaru watched her carefully as she laid on his table. On her own violation, without questions. He couldn’t hold back his curiosity.

“What is in it for you, Sssssakura-chan?”

“Just a favor for a friend,” she answered shortly.

“Friend?” he raised an eyebrow. “If I recall correctly, the word that Sasuke-kun used was ‘a vessel’ rather than a friend,” he smiled with mirth at her. Waiting for her to protest. To be upset. To yell. Maybe even punch him. Yet Sakura did none of that. Peculiar.

“Yes, I guess that is what I am. We, shinobi, are just tools,” the way how casually she said it interested him.

“And you are okay with that?” the girl shrugged in response.

“At least this way I will be useful for something...” she whispered. He would have missed it if there wasn’t a deadly silence in his laboratory.

“Hmmmm… I will insssspect you now, Sakura-chan,” he said still pondering over her words. Pale hands engulfed in a green light went over her body. She was healthy and capable Orochimaru deducted.

“I will start now,” he said. There were countless ways how he could have went over the procedure. A number of medical ninjutsu he could have used. Yet Orochimaru chose to do it in a more… civilian manner. More than anything, he wanted to test just how much Sakura was committed to this _endeavor_.

Unusually gently he spread Sakura’s legs. Standing between them he eyed her reaction. The girl was looking straight to the ceiling. She didn’t tense or flinch, to his surprise. Not many could react this way to his presence alone, but to even be comfortable with his touch… that was odd. 

Orochimaru was fully aware of how people reacted to him. How big of aversion some had. But this girl didn’t mind him at all! He wasn’t sure if he should feel insulted or pleased by the lack of reaction on her part. An interesting thought came to his mind. _Was the girl used to such indignity?_

He took a metal speculum from a table nearby. He placed it on her thigh.

“To warm it up, for your commmmfort,” he explained though she didn’t ask. His free hand went to her nether region. A long finger brushed over her exposed entrance. 

“I will refrain from using any artificial balms, by Sasuke’s request of course,” a lie. Orochimaru grinned noting a micro nod from the girl. Just how far would she go? Far it seamed. She didn’t complain or comment on how inappropriately he touched her to stimulate her. Sakura was a medic, she should know better… Yet she said nothing. 

No matter what others might say, Orochimaru was skilled in anything and everything he did. In no time, wetness gathered where he touched. He could have stopped right there, but despite better judgment, he continued. Just a little more. What was he waiting for?

Ah, there it is. A small sharp inhale Sakura made, causing his smile to widen. Yet it was not a reaction of displeasure, on contrary. He noticed how her cheeks blushed. Her legs trembled just a little bit. That is when Orochimaru pulled away, satisfied with her dedication. Okay, he was also pleased personally with her reaction. Toying with bodies was always fun. In this case, his deep-seated ego was more than delighted. He was a snake sannin, but he was also a man, and getting such reactions was entertaining. 

He placed the metal instrument and expanded her entrance. Sakura’s juices slithered down like she was some ripe fruit he just sliced into.

“Nooooow, relax your muscles completely,” he ordered peering deep inside her. Orochimaru wondered just how far he could go with her. Would he dare to push her boundaries? Of course, he would. 

His lone index fingered gently poked inside. The girl was no virgin, but probably with no help from Sasuke. He felt her cervix. There was no medical need to do this. His instruments could easily penetrate her, but Orochimaru was just a ‘hands-on’ type of person after all.

Delicately he stroked her insides in some weird sense to relax her. Orochimaru’s curiosity had absolutely no bounds. Well, how could he contain himself if his subject was so willing? Slowly, sannin slipped his finger further. Sakura didn’t even twitch. On a certain level, he was a bit disappointed. Was there anything he could do to make her react?

Once again he pulled away. Taking a syringe with Sasuke’s ‘donation’, he finally proceeded with the actual procedure. It was over quickly. He removed the metal tools and watched as her entrance closed once more. Following some weird instinct, Orochimaru brushed his hand over it.

“You will have to ssssstay here until I confirm that _procedure_ was a successsssss.”

Sakura only nodded with content as she got up from his table...

Orochimaru exhaled closing his eyes. The memory was so vivid. His hand absently stroked over Sakura’s lifeless leg. So here she is once again on his table. But very much like the first time, showing no emotion to his presence or touch.

“So many optionssss… I will have to pick carefully…” he considered aloud. Maybe he could get some cadavers to test on before proceeding on Sakura? She was no one special. She didn’t have any keke genkai. She did not have a clan. But she was no usual subject that could be thrown away if his intentions failed.

━━━━━━━━━━

All the leaves were brown and the sky was gray. On the winters day small group of people stood in the cemetery. Kakashi wished for Sakura’s name to be on the stone rather than forgotten between endless graves that surrounded them. Yet, she did not die in a battle.

No, she did. It was only a battle with herself and not some enemy-nin. He held it together during the ceremony. Naruto didn’t shed tears anymore too. Copy nin wondered how could he have missed all the signs. How. HOW? 

“Sensei?” Naruto grabbed the attention of his sole eye. They were the only two left standing. “Let’s have a drink, yeah?” the boy suggested. He only nodded and allowed to be dragged away.

They didn’t go to a bar or Naruto’s home. Instead, they closed off in his apartment. Curtains closed a bottle of sake between them on the table. They drank in silence.

“Did she.. Did Sakura leave you a letter, Kakashi?” Naruto asked voice hoars.

“Mmmm.”

“She left one for me too. Even Orochimaru got one… But she left nothing for Sasuke or Sarada,” blond’s voice was pained. There was something heavy weighing on his shoulders. Were there more secrets he missed? Just how big of a failure he was to his student?

“She.. she was all alone, despite how it looked like,” Naruto sighed.

“Were we not enough for her?” Kakashi whispered.

“Were we, sensei? Did we even try to know her?” now Naruto almost whined.

“No... I guess we didn’t. We assumed…” he couldn’t finish his thought. The mind refused to work with him. He drank more to numb the pain.

“I… I learned about her more after... After her death... Then when she was alive...” this strong and godlike Hokage was reduced to a shell of a being.

“Naruto, what happened with her body? Why a clone?” he asked as a matter of fact.

“Ahh.. don’t ask… I don’t even want to think about it…” Naruto closed his eyes leaning back. He was definitely thinking about it now.

“Naruto-kun, please,” he pushed. Kakashi had to know, no matter how bad the truth was. Did they burn Sakura? Was she being inspected by corps for her jutsu? 

“She… Sakura asked me to… to give her body to… to Orochimaru…” the words came out with great effort. Kakashi didn’t have it in him to be surprised anymore. He just looked unblinkingly at the boy.

“Why?”

“Ahhh… it’s a long story…”

“Tell me.”

“Fine.”

Naruto proceeded to tell Kakashi all that he learned. About Sakuras supposed ‘happy’ family. About her letter. About everything. Kakashi looked out of the window. Well, actually he was looking at the curtain, but his eye was not seeing anything either way.

“Let’s visit the snake. We have to make sure he… he doesn’t do anything… disrespectful,” Kakashi said without strength in his voice. It was a pain to even think about what the sannin could be doing with his student. 

“But… it was her wish…” Naruto groaned very much conflicted.

“I don’t care. I have to do something,” Kakashi said more stern this time.

━━━━━━━━━━


	16. Chunin Exam Finals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon divergence:  
> * Hayate Gekko is alive. Some other nameless nin was killed instead. Why? Because I like Gekko! And Saku needs a kenjutsu teacher ^^  
> * Dosu Kinuta is alive. He will fight Shikamaru instead of Temari, because our Nara boy has to show off too. Shikamaru will forfeit as in cannon in the end.

“Shikaku, your son is friends with that Haruno kid, right?”

“Yeah. What about him, Inoichi?”

“Hmmm, what do you know about him?”

“He came to dinner a couple of times. Looks like a smart kid. A lot of jonins are debating if he’s Kakashi’s illegitimate son or something,” Nara clan head laughed as he was heavily drunk already. Tomorrow his dear son will participate in the last stage of the exams. He was proud.

“How come?” Choza joined the conversation between bites of his meal.

“Well, he’s kinda like a prodigy. And, get this, wears a mask at all times! I could not even catch him eating without it! Sneaky pink-haired mini Kakashi,” Shikaku snickered drinking some more straight from a bottle.

“Hmmm.”

“Why do you ask?” Shikaku raised an eyebrow at his blond friend. Inoichi sighed heavily.

“Ino was bragging that she dragged him on a date. I am pretty sure that against his will, but still. I was curious just why would she be interested in him.”

“Hm, I think Haruno was the genin of the year for their group,” Shikaku looked up thinking for a moment.

“What? Not the Uchiha?”

“Nop. Imagine that? Some civilian bested the last Uchiha. Hence - the prodigy.”

“Hm, I might just have to check the Haruno myself,” Inoichi was lost in thought.

“Dad! Let’s go home, I have a fight tomorrow,” Shikamaru appeared very much unhappy at his current drunk state.

“Whaaat? You passed to the finals?” Shikaku gaped dramatically.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura stood under a stream of cold water in her shower. Today was the day. Her debut. She washed carefully. At home, she would drop her transformation. She noted how her body has… changed. Her breast were starting to grow, her hips curved. Sometimes she would miss her feminine side.

Stepping out of the shower Sakura ignored the mirrors. She hadn’t looked at her reflection for years now. Hurriedly, she pulled on her mask and exhaled easier feeling the fabric on her skin.

She wrapped her breasts tightly with bandages. Just in case her chakra would run out, she wanted to prevent a suspicious bulge appear on her chest. Her outfit was the usual pair of dark baggy pants and an oversized long sleeve shirt. Underneath, her arms were wrapped in the same bandages to hide her summoning tattoo.

Two wakizashi blades tightly secured on her thighs, a pouch full of kunai, senbon, and paper bombs. Konoha headband finalized the look as she tied it around her neck. Plain, inconspicuous was the look she was going for. 

“Brat! Get your ass out here!” a harsh voice called for her. Sakura froze for a second deliberating if maybe she could just pretend she already left.

“When I tell you to come, you come!” Kizashi barged in towering over her. His lips stretched into a smirk. “Come. Get it?” he chuckled leaning closer to her with clear innuendo to his words. Sakura didn’t respond. Her body refused to move a muscle. Her mind went blank. Dead eyes stared in front of her.

“I had to work the night shift and I am very irritated, so don’t you start with your attitude, Sa-ku-ra,” he pulled down her mask to see her face better. “Are you even listening?” he suddenly slapped her cheek. Sakura stayed silent.

“Pfft” he snored unhappy with her lack of reaction. He was obviously not in a patient mood today. Tired too so that probably meant no beating today. A shiver went down her spine as his hand weaved into her wet hair.

The man dragged her back to her room and sat on her bed. Kizashi looked her over. Hand tilting her head by the hair.

“Still not talking, huh? Well, we’ll just have to make another use of your pretty little mouth,” his expression darkened. With one leg he tripped her and Sakura fell on the hardwood floor on her knees. She heard a distinctive sound of the zipper being undone.

Mind blank. No thoughts at all. Buzzing silence. No thoughts. No thoughts. Don’t think. Don’t feel. Her body was stiff as a board, eyes open but unseeing.

Sakura regained her consciousness with a violent cough. She was on the floor. Her knees hurt. Her face hurt. Her jaw hurt. There was a foul bitter taste in her mouth. She gagged. With deep breaths, she managed not to puke.

 _Shower. Need to take a shower..._ she thought absentmindedly and did just that. Her movements were mechanic and efficient. Her mind was still in a daze.

For the second time that morning, she dressed up. Hand lazily brushed her wet short hair back. Fingers lingered on the undercut part of her head. They slightly trembled for a second.

“Exam. Concentrate. Exam.” she muttered getting herself into a zone. In fifteen minutes she was already standing next to the arena. People were gathering at the main gates, she turned to the participant entrance.

“Saku! Haven’t seen you in ages!” Nara appeared by her side.

“Yo.” she raised one hand in greeting.

“So, you wanna tell me something, maybe?” Shikamaru curled his eyebrow, hands crossed. Sakura stared blankly at him. No, she had nothing to say to him.

“Ino and you. Are you a thing now? She was bragging how two of you went on a date last week.”

Sakura blinked. Ino? Date? No, she definitely did not remember doing that. Why would she go with Yamanaka on her own volition? Besides, last week she was in Ankoku plains… Oh. Even the thought of Ino made something nasty in her stomach turn.

“I think I am gonna puke,” she said seriously and ran away to the men’s bathroom. Her morning ‘activities’ didn’t sit well with her stomach. She couldn’t hold it back. Thankfully, Sakura reached the toilet in time, closed the stall door, and pulled the mask down.

Heaving she sat on the tiled floor. Surprisingly, this made her feel better. She brushed her mouth with the back of her hand. Carefully, avoiding looking inside the toilet she flushed the white evidence of her father’s doing.

Little paler, but overall lighter, with her mask in place, Sakura stepped outside to wash her hands.

“You okay, pinky?” Kakashi was leaning on a sink, arms crossed, watching her carefully.

“Yo.” she only raised her hand and went to the sinks right away avoiding to look into his eye.

“You didn’t answer my question, Saku-kun,” he pushed.

“I am fine. Are you okay, sensei? You are not late. Should we be concerned about your health?”

Kakashi didn’t chuckle or remark at her teasing. The sound of running water filled the silence between them. Sakura carefully stared at her hands avoiding him or the mirrors in front of her. So troublesome. Why was he even here? Shouldn’t he be super late with Sasuke?

“It’s okay to be worried, but I have full trust in that you will win against Temari,” copy-nin said as she turned off the water.

“I am not worried. I know I will win,” her voice was not smug or filled with fake confidence. No, she spoke as if it was a fact.

“Alright then. Good luck, Saku-kun.” 

She nodded and left without turning back. There was no need to look, Sakura felt the heavy stare on the back of her head. Did he suspect anything? Did he… smell anything? No, that could not be it. Sakura shooed away her paranoia and concentrated on the fights that were about to commence.

━━━━━━━━━━

Naruto versus Neji. It all went pretty much the same as she remembered.

“Wow, since when did Naruto have that much chakra?” Shikamaru didn’t hold back his surprise. Their little participant group watched from a balcony.

“Since always?”

“No way.”

“Yes way. He is a chakra monster,” she remarked aware, that Gaara nearby was listening in.

“Anyways, Saku, I am guessing that Ino blackmailed you or something?”

“I’d rather not talk about it. Too traumatic,” she shivered dramatically making Nara chuckle. Yes, she really couldn’t talk about it as it was not _her_ who went on a date with Ino. Damn Mokuhi.

“Winner is Uzumaki Naruto!” Genma announced. The time came for the second fight.

“I forfeit!” Kankuro yelled to everyone’s, but Sakuras, surprise. She turned to Temari and met her eyes. Without words, she wanted to confirm if the girl will fight or not. Temari smiled and took out her fan. Dramatically she landed at the stadium. Fight it is. Sakura smirked genuinely for the first time that day.

“Alright, Saku Haruno, come down to the stage!” Genma urged. She obliged but took the stairs instead. On the way down she met Naruto.

“Saku! I know you will win! Believe it!” he beamed as if he didn’t just have a grueling fight with Hyuga. For Kami’s sake, how was the blond even standing? Kyubi’s power always amazed her.

“Good job of kicking Hyuga butt,” she only said passing him by. Naruto was about to cry as he waved at her back.

The stadium was big. And dry. Just as she expected. There were a couple of trees, but she did not really want to show _that_ extent of her water manipulation jutsu. Sakura stopped good twenty meters away from Temari.

Genma was about to announce the start of the fight, but Temari was already leaping in the air with her fan waving about. She obviously learned from watching Sakuras instant kill technique during preliminaries and didn’t even give her a chance to attack first. 

Sakura dodged preemptively behind the trees. Her breathing was steady. She slowly focused her chakra, senses extended in search of water. She looked up at the sky lazily waiting for the wind to stop. Some clouds drifted across the blue endless yonder. Sun blazing. The wind felt actually refreshing if not for the cutting edge of it that could very seriously rip you in shreds.

When Temari’s attack stopped, Sakura leaped from her shelter, kunai in hand she targeted the girl. Not seriously, but good enough for her to start dodging. She wanted Temari on her toes. She wanted to provoke the girl.

“Was that breeze your attack or someone left a window open? I couldn’t tell,” Sakura taunted. That did the trick. Blond looked positively furious.

“Ahhgh!!” Temari let out a war cry as she started her new attack. Sakura was already running towards the wall and then up. Chakra in her feet, she ran to the very top. As she reached the ledge the wind caught up with her. 

This was it. Focusing a hefty amount of chakra to her legs, Sakura pushed from the ledge up to the sky. The ground beneath her cracked from the force. Temari’s wind served her as an extra booster pushing Sakura even higher above the arena. She was airborne now.

Sakuras hands weaved intricate hand seals, with the last one done she reached her hand up to the sky.

━━━━━━━━━━

Kakashi wasn’t convinced by Saku’s act at first, but there was uncanny confidence in the boy’s voice. _Did I make a mistake leaving him without a teacher?_ he wondered as he left to the stands. He found a seat next to Asuma and Kurenai.

“Hey, Kakashi. You’re awfully early,” the man with a lit cigarette mused.

“Hello, Asuma. Well, I couldn’t miss my dear student’s fights. All three of them,” he casually said not bragging at all. Copy-nin was extremely proud. His whole team passed to the finals. 

During Naruto’s fight, Kakashi had multiple raises to his pulse. When did Naruto become such a strategist? The boy surprised him in how he gathered Kyubi’s chakra and then actually won!

“How did you teach the boy to work with foxes chakra?” Kurenai had asked him.

“Jiraya-sama stopped by the village and trained Naruto,” he explained without actually explaining. 

“Jiraya-sama himself?” Asuma whistled. Indeed, that was something special to be graced by Legendary Sannin’s tutelage. “Kurenai, your boy is next?”

“Yes...” she was about to say something when the proctor announced Kankurou’s forfeit.

“I guess he is not a fan of bugs,” Kakashi murmured not really convinced of his own words. Forfeit sounded really strange coming from Kazekage’s own son. Then Kakashi perked up as the name of his second student was announced.

The boy walked out with confidence hidden behind his laid back exterior. Kakashi still had a slither of doubt in his mind. Seeing or actually hearing Saku empty his stomach content just an hour ago was not reassuring. The way he also avoided looking at him... Was Saku upset with Kakashi? Copy-nin had to guess as the boy usually wasn’t so _shy_ (?).

The match started abruptly. Kakashi lifted his hitai ate and focused sharingan on Saku. He was curious about what the boy planned to do against a long-distance fighter such as Temari. To his surprise, for the first time, Kakashi heard Saku actually _taunt_ someone!

“Oh boy, he should have not provoked a girl like that,” Asuma chuckled.

“Noooo, I think that was the plan,” Kakashi replied thinking it over. Saku would never waste words during a fight or ever, to be honest. He was quiet and actually complained about how shinobi let their mouths run during a fight. So this had to be a ploy.

“For what? To be attacked harder?” Kurenai rethored with surprise. Yes, that was exactly that, Kakashi realized.

Their group was joined by Guy and Lee as Saku started scaling the wall.

“What is he up to, Kakashi?” Guy asked with suspicion.

“I have no idea,” he replied honestly gathering his whole focus on the pink-haired boy. Did he plan to outrun the wind? 

“Oh,” collective sound was made as Saku pushed away from the ledge into the air and was propelled even higher by the wind. Kakashi leaned in as all of their heads looked up. Saku was way above the stadium. 

“He will die if he falls from that height!” Lee exclaimed not at all diminishing Hatake’s worry. Saku was doing some hand seals, but his back was turned to them, so Kakashi couldn’t see clearly what it was.

Then he noted Saku’s raised hand. He could not see any chakra gathering there. What in the world was his student thinking??? It was like Saku attempted to grab on to the clouds…

“Wait, did he just…?” Asuma dropped his cigarette in disbelief. This had to be a massive collective genjutsu as surely what they saw could not be happening.

“He… he… is he grabbing a _cloud_?” Kurenai’s jaw dropped. Indeed that is what it looked like. Milky white cloud was way lower than it should be. With every millisecond, it descended more towards the ground until Saku’s body was completely engulfed by it.

Suddenly raindrops started to fall down onto the arena. As they got closer to the ground they turned into senbon shape. Temari tried to counter with her wind, but it could not beat the combined power of chakra and gravities pull. So the girl had to hide under her fan to avoid sharp needles. 

As the senbon-rain made contact with the ground, little needles turned back to water. The whole arena was drenched, with a reasonable level of water now covering it. The whole cloud was diminished into water! 

“Where is Saku-kun?” Lee looked around pointing a very obvious thing out. The cloud was gone, Saku was nowhere to be seen. Until three identical copies of the boy emerged from the water. At least with that technique Kakashi was familiar with. He thought it to the boy after all. 

“I see. There was no water for the young Saku-kun to take advantage of, so he changed the arena to suit his fighting style,” Guy concluded. 

Just like any other jonin and chunin in these stands, their eyes were glued to Saku. Temari attacked with her wind style again managing to disperse two water clones. The third Saku was rushing towards her now. Blond recoiled back. Swiftly she attacked with a kunai. Another clone. 

At that point, Kakashi knew it was over. His sharingan registered how the water under Temari started to gather inconspicuously while diminishing in the corners of the arena. Saku appeared right behind Temari, with him water rose up and engulfed the girl in a bubble. 

“Water prison!” Kurenai recognized first. 

“Well this was quick,” Asuma lit another cigarette as the first one was caught in the humidity that lingered in the air. 

Saku held the bubble with his one hand, with the other he took one sword and penetrated the bubble, so the tip would rest against Temari’s neck. Saku looked at the proctor for confirmation. 

Genma appeared by the pair as soon as the bubble had formed. He knew this move but counted till five in his head giving Temari a benefit of the doubt. Nop, she was helplessly caught in the trap. 

“Winner is Haruno Saku!” he announced looking at the pink-haired boy with a slight tilt to his lips. _That is one useful technique. To incapacitate a shinobi this way is a sure end to a battle…_ he pondered watching how the boy released his jutsu. 

Temari plopped on the ground gasping for air. She looked furious and Genma almost snickered. If glares could kill, Saku would surely be dead. Yet the boy looked confused about Temari’s expression. 

“Mmm.. Sorry for getting you wet?” Saku muttered and probably only Temari and Genma heard it. Shiranui barely could hold down his laughter. Oh boy, he was so right about the mini Kakashi. Saku was a born flirt, the man deducted. As Saku brushed a hand lazily over his own wet pink head of hair, Temari’s blush probably could be seen even from Kage’s stand. 

“Kakashi, my friend, your students are full of youth! Such power and control is astonishing!” Guy beamed at his friend. 

“How did he even manage that?” Kurenai asked with unadulterated curiosity. 

“Saku-kun has immaculate chakra control. He does not waste a single drop,” Kakashi only replied hiding his sharingan again. 

“Damn, you are right! Look at him, the boy does not even look tired,” Asuma mused. Kakashi looked over his student in contemplation. This was the technique Saku developed all on his own. No wonder the boy was so confident. And yet, why was he sick if not from nerves? 

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. Happy Halloween & All Saint's Day to everyone! 👻 🎃


	17. Shadows in the Chaos

Sakura yawned as she walked back. One of her Yin seals felt a dent from that technique. But, hey it worked out after all. She could not restrain a smile that stretched behind her mask.

“Saku, you are a beast,” Shikamaru exhaled as they met in the corridor.

“Thanks?”

“So this is what you meant that time when we watched clouds?”

“Yup. Thank you for giving me the idea,” Sakura said sincerely and young Nara was taken aback by the pure emotion behind her words.

“Mm, don't sweat it, Saku. But so you know, I will forfeit if I have to go against you.”

“Ha, don’t even think about that,” she chuckled earning another expression of surprise from Shikamaru. “Alright, good luck,” both of them nodded and parted ways.

Before reaching the balcony, Sakura looked around. She was alone. Good. With a couple of hand signs, she created a clone.

“You know what to do,” the clone nodded and left. While everyone’s attention was on the final fights and patrols were scattered around the village, the Hokage Tower surprisingly was left pretty much unguarded.

“Saku! That was crazy!” Naruto yelled at her as she joined them on the balcony.

“Thanks?”

“You made the whole stadium wet,” Sasuke scoffed unhappily. She glared at the boy. Why was he so displeased? With his lightning style, water will be great.

“Are you jealous, Uchiha?” she smirked crossing her arms.

“No! You just wait and see! You’re not the only one with a new technique,” he looked smug. Some things never change. Although, over the years of her domination, Sasuke sure learned a tad bit of humility.

━━━━━━━━━━

Meanwhile, her clone sneaked into the tower. There were only a few guards here and about. Easy compared to Root QH. In no time, clone Sakura stood in a familiar office. She walked towards a plain wall and made a hefty amount of hand sings. The wall melted in front of her revealing a passage going down.

This was a secret shortcut to Hogake’s private library. She only knew about this because Tsunade could not be bothered to fetch documents most of the time. 

Quickly she descended into the depths of the building. It was dimly lit and the air felt stale. Clone Sakura reached her destination in ten minutes. Rows of cabinets stood in front of her. She knew exactly what to look for.

Secret reports of the Uchiha Massacre ‘mission’. Her tongue even now could not turn to call what happened a legitimate mission. It was barbarous treason against Konoha’s own people. She took the documents and carefully sealed them in a scroll.

After a couple more minutes of pursuing, she found another stack of Lord Thirds’ private correspondence. That was sealed too. Now the only thing left to do was extraction.

Same way as she came in, clone Sakura was gone. Leaving the scroll safely hidden clone vanished from existence.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura sighed heavily as all the memories from her clone rushed into her mind.

“What is it, Saku?” Shikamaru turned to her. His fight was already over and they watched how Gaara entered the stadium. The boy looked a bit disturbed as he returned, but Sakura didn’t know why. Maybe he was tired after fighting Kinuta. 

“Nothing. Just hungry from all the fighting,” she brushed it off. Naruto beside them also looked unusually quiet.

“Shikamaru, we have to tell Kakashi-sensei about what we saw,” the blond said and she looked at the pair curiously.

“Troublesome… but you’re right. Saku, let’s go,” Nara tugged on her shoulder. Sakura didn’t protest. If it were anyone else, she would have.

“What did you see?” she asked curiously as they rushed to the stands.

“When we were going back… we saw Gaara just kill two people. Just like that, like it was nothing,” the boy explained. Sakura was not surprised at all.

They found a gray bush of hair with ease. The boys started explaining with urgency, but Kakashi didn’t pay too much mind to their concerns. Sakura watched the fight instead of joining in.

“By the way, Saku-kun, a great technique you have there. Might doing a demonstration for me up close later?” Kakashi’s voice sounded right by her ear. She didn’t flinch no matter how much her body was surprised by the sudden intrusion of her personal space.

“No way. You’ll copy it,” she scoffed crossing her arms.

“Maaaa, pinky, you hurt your sensei.”

“Good,” she muttered maybe a bit too salty for her liking.

“Hmm, if I didn’t know better, I would think that you are upset with me, Saku-kun,” Kakashi’s voice was sweet, but he sounded serious.

“I am your student and your suffering is very important to me, sensei,” she glanced back at the man with crinkled eyes in Kakashi’s trademark fake smile. Now the man gasped for real, his eye slightly twitched.

━━━━━━━━━━

And then all hell broke loose. Sakura didn’t hesitate to pull out her wakizashi swords in both hands. Slice. Slice. Enemy nins fall down. Dodge a kunai. Leap away from a shuriken. Slice. Another one falls down.

“Saku! Release Naruto and Shikamaru from the genjutsu,” Kakashi urgently ordered her. Reluctantly Sakura obeyed. 

“KAI!” she said touching Naruto. Then she kicked Shikamaru into the ribs. “Get up, Shika. We need your brains here.” With a pained whine Nara rolled over from his pretend nap.

“Right right. Flattery will get you nowhere.”

“So I have been told, and yet here I am,” she muttered dodging another kunai sent their way.

“Saku, Naruto, Shikamaru, take Pakkun with you and follow Sasuke!” Kakashi ordered. Sakura really didn’t have time for that. Yet all of them nodded in sync and left.

━━━━━━━━━━

Orochimaru enjoyed the _little_ fight he was engaging in. Oh, the face Sarutobi made when First and Second Hokage’s appeared. Delicious. Sannin was tempted to collect his senseis tears and drink them up from a chalice.

“Demon! They look just the same as I remember,” Hiruzens voice was husky as he spoke.

“Have you ever felt the joy and fulfillment of humiliating and destroying the one you once called sensei? No, I suppose not. Perhaps, vicariously threw me you’ll get a hint of what I mean. Just a taste before you die,” Orochimaru spoke calmly while his hands made the seal to finish the reanimation jutsu.

So the fighting continued. Hiruzen annoyingly summoned that same monkey of his, forcing Orochimaru to draw his own Graas long sword. 

With Kusanagi sword in his hand, unexpected thought, no, a memory, resurfaces in his mind. _...you look like the type who talks too much during a fight instead of taking out the target…_ Sannin scoffed involuntarily. Why was that kid sounding so reasonable at this moment? _...sneaky people will use it to one-up you…_ Hiruzen was surely fitting that description.

 _...talk so much instead of making their finishing blow…_ it was getting annoying to hear the pesky voice in the back of his mind.

“What? Cat got your tongue, Orochimaru?” Hiruzen poked as he indeed fell quiet for far too long. He would have laughed and sent a snarky remark, but truth be told a certain pink-haired cat had him tongue-tied.

At first, it was one on one fight, but First and Second Hokages overwhelmed Hiruzen. Orochimaru used the opportunity and swung his fists forcing the old man to the ground.

 _...taunting will bite you in the ass one day…_ as if, Orochimaru thought to himself, but without any words attacked his old sensei in quick calculated movements. Fake slice, fake dodge, and… THUD. That was a real one that Hiruzen failed to dodge. The old man’s head fell down separately from his body. Silence. Monkey disappeared in a poof of smoke. He had prevailed.

“Marvelous,” Orochimaru grinned. A grimace stretched his face as the blood pooled beneath his feet. “Revenge truly is sweet,” he hummed. His chest felt light. A decade of harnessed anger evaporated.

━━━━━━━━━━

Their little grouped moved quickly. Shikamaru already left to be the decoy. They were getting closer to Sasuke and Gaara.

“Wait, I sense another group of nin’s on our trail!” Pakkun announced. They stopped.

“Did...Shikamaru fail?” Naruto said in disbelief.

“No, this is a new group. Reinforcements.”

“Okay, you go ahead, I will take care of them,” Sakura said with a stern voice.

“Saku…”

“Naruto. I believe in you. You and Uchiha are a good combo. Gaara will stand no chance.”

“Alright, kid. Be careful,” Pakkun nodded his little head. Reluctantly Naruto also had to agree to her plan. They left.

 _Finally…_ she exhaled with relief. Turning around Sakura tracked her steps. In a few minutes, she encountered the ‘reinforcements’. Sorry bunch of shinobi. She didn’t waste too much time. With precise slashes of her blades, she quickly killed the five enemy nin that dared to attack her.

And now, her real mission could begin. Sakura sunshined half of the way back. The rest she ran. Sakura didn’t have much time left. She rushed across the trees, her legs already tingled from chakra constantly flowing over them. She won’t be able to walk for a couple of days after this is over.

“Fuck it,” she muttered pushing ahead. Good twenty meters away from the entrance to Root HQ she stopped. Her heartbeat slowed down. Chakra completely suppressed. Blending with the shadows Sakura took an appearance of a masked agent she scoped out before.

Confidently she went inside. Deep under the village winding corridors were like a maze. Thank Kami, she already explored them in her past life after Danzo’s death.

Sakura had to vanish to the thin air at least four times as some operatives wondered around the base. Raven’s training paid off as none of the agents noticed her presence. 

Finally, she reached her goal. Yet another dusty file room. Old geezers were so good in keeping records, she grinned. After some quick inspection, Sakura found the records she was looking for. List of stolen children. Their names. Clans. The ‘training’ they underwent. Everything.

Excellent.

Sealing all she needed, Sakura quickly left the same way she got in. Mission complete. She was just another shadow in the village engulfed by chaos.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura didn’t hurry on her way back. Her mind was in slight shock at how smoothly her plans went down. Konoha’s security was shit!

“Oh, what do we have here? A little mouse all alone,” man’s voice caught her attention. It was a small group of Suna nin. She failed to notice their presence, mostly because of all the exhaustion that finally caught up with her. She exhaled tiredly but took wakizashi in her hands determined to fight back.

Worn out, battered, and bruised, Sakura finally dragged her little ass back to the village. A couple of kunai were still stuck in her back. Her feet dragged slowly, trembling from overuse. The fighting was over leaving burning aftermath and rubble behind.

“Kid, you okay there?” the proctor from preliminaries appeared next to Sakura. She gave him a tired glance. Huh, so he was still alive. She had to remind herself that the timeline is inevitably changing.

“Yo. All good,” she mumbled but didn’t manage to suppress a wince that came from taking a breath. There was uncertainty in her future. It didn’t scare Sakura. She was actually excited to see what is ahead. What her actions will cause to unveil… She stumbled taking another step. 

Hayate reached out and grabbed her by the elbow to steady her.

“Damn kid, let me help you with that,” he coughed slightly before taking the kunai out of her back. “Let’s get you to the hospital.”

“Nah. All good,” she brushed him off and reached back with a green glowing hand. It was a bit tricky but she managed to heal herself.

“You know medical ninjutsu?”

“I hate hospitals,” she shrugged. If he noticed the scars on her back peaking from what used to be open wounds a few seconds ago, he didn't say anything.

━━━━━━━━━━

With a heavy heart, Sakura walked down the street towards the civilian district. Hayate left her after seeing her wounds completely healed. She was still bloody, her clothes torn in places. It really looked worse than it was.

She stopped and stared. There it was, her house. In pristine condition. She couldn’t exhale. Another change compared to her past life.

Some time had passed before Sakura went inside. For the first time in years, she used the door. Without changing or showering, she fell into her bed. Sleep came over her instantly. Sakura didn’t even notice Kakashi perched on a branch outside her room.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I was cleaning some graves today, it got me thinking. Would Sakura tend to her parents graves in the past? It would look suspicious if she wouldn’t. So each time probably was very much traumatic for her.


	18. A wild Uchiha appeared!

Sakura stood in black attire next to her teammates. She didn’t look much different from any other day, except for the lack of _visible_ weapons. There were no tears shed by her over that old man. She knew better.

What surprised her was _how_ Sarutobi was killed. No one really told them explicitly, but she overheard that his head was cut off. That was different. Also, no mention of Orochimaru being injured at all. Huh.

A white flower was placed mechanically. Like a good shinobi, she showed no emotion at all. Deep inside, she wanted to disrupt the ceremony by dumping all her knowledge. Patience, she told herself. She had to bide her time.

Very soon all of them will learn just what sick bastard the third Hokage was. Soon.

━━━━━━━━━━

Konoha was positively buzzing as reconstruction efforts took place. Sakura walked around lost in thought. Tsunade will be here any day now. She recalled that Naruto was behind it last time. Maybe she could check on him? Her legs seemed to have decided for her as Sakura found herself standing in front of Naruto’s apartment door.

Without knocking she entered inside.

“Yo. Naruto?” she called out but got only silence in response. She peeked inside his room. Messy as ever, but his backpack was missing. So he was already away. Left without her just like last time. Without saying a word. She was left behind _again_.

Clenching her jaw, Sakura stepped outside and almost ran into Sasuke.

“Where is Naruto?!” he almost yelled at her.

“Not here,” she shrugged. Uchiha didn’t stay to chat and leaped away. Sakura closed the door, still lost deeply ruminative. If she recalled correctly, this is the time where Itachi will beat the crap out of him. Good. Sasuke could have taken her along, but noooo. He was just like Naruto. Left her behind to pursue their own goals. To find each other.

Yes, Sakura was angry. Disappointed even. She wanted to be considered as part of the team. Yet, Team Seven was already parting ways. 

“Fuck that, I will just crash their party,” she muttered and leaped over the roofs to follow Sasuke. The boy was already gone, she didn’t go full speed though. Maybe halfway, Sakura landed on the ground and started walking.

 _What am I doing? They obviously don’t want me, even know when I am fucking strong…_ she considered resting hands in her pockets. This whole situation sucked. Still, her legs carried her towards the outpost city. At this rate, she will be completely late for any action.

Her pace slowed even more. _Maybe I should just turn back? Why bother with them?_ After ten minutes she was still making her way forward. Inner turmoil didn’t diminish no matter which way she reasoned.

In a distance, Sakura’s gaze caught a glimpse of black and red. Ohh. There were two figures sitting on a rock. She definitely should turn away now. But she didn’t. Sakura kept her pace the same. Her eyes looked forward trying not to look at the pair.

Twenty meters. Fifteen. Ten. Five. She almost passed them, when one of the cloaked men coughed. Instinctively, she tilted her head in that direction.

“It’s impolite to stare, kid,” a bulky blue-skinned man said to her. Kisame. She didn’t look at his direction, instead focusing on the smaller of the two. Itachi was coughing? _So he was human, huh?_

“Are you okay, mister? You sound sick,” she said politely ignoring any natural instincts to flee. This reminded her of the time she first met Itachi at the Uchiha compound. She had no fear to lose her life by his hand.

Sakura could only guess that a demon-possessed her as she actually stepped closer to the pair. Two Akatsuki members didn’t say a word and only watched her carefully regarding her leaf headband. Strangely, the two didn’t have their usual headbands on them. Interesting.

“It’s okay mister, I am a medic, I can heal you,” she offered, stepping even closer. Why? Why was she interfering? Oh why, Kami, why? At least her body didn’t betray the feelings she felt inside.

Itachi said nothing as she made another step towards him. Kisame looked amused. She decided to play a dumb little kid to match her appearance.

“Did you get injured during the attack? That cough of yours sounded not so good, mister,” she continued to talk despite her better judgment. What could she do? Itachi didn’t object or shoo her away or kill her yet. So might as well go full crazy here.

“Okay, I will use my chakra now to check your lungs, mister. It might feel weird for you,” to her surprise, Itachi slightly tilted his head in a typical Uchiha sign of acceptance.

Her hands started to glow green as she reached towards his chest. Wow. His lungs were fucked. Sakura closed her eyes to concentrate better. Pushing her chakra forward into his body, she started the slow healing process. 

Okay, maybe she knew exactly why she was doing this. Itachi was a scapegoat and that did not sit well with her. The poor guy had to kill his whole clan by Hokage’s orders. It was just wrong. At least this way, she could take some of his physical pain away.

“Alright. There will be some scarring left, but with some proper medicine, it will be able to heal fully in a few weeks after I’m done closing in major tares and lesions,” she explained as her chakra continued to mend Uchiha’s battered lungs. She could actually hear how Itachi’s breath instantly improved. Even his shoulders looked a bit more relaxed.

Sakura wasn’t done yet. Sneakily, her chakra went over his whole system. A couple of cracked ribs. Fixed. A sprain. Fixed. And then… the eyes. They were in even worse condition than his lungs. Carefully she fixed what she could without him noticing. Or so she thought.

“Thank you,” Itachi whispered as Sakura pulled her hand away. The glow was no more. The man blinked intensely at her, then his eyes narrowed. Well of course he would notice when his regular sight improved so suddenly.

“No problem. This is my duty as a medic,” she said simply the line that was natural, yet so bitter on her tongue. Sakura said the same words many times in her past. “But please visit a hospital for medicine and a checkup.”

Another micro nod. How annoying. She bowed her head slightly and turned away to leave.

“Have we met before?” she heard Itachi ask from behind her. Sakura stopped and turned to look at his face. Dark eyes stared almost to her soul.

“Hmmm. I don’t think so. Maybe you have seen me in the Konoha hospital?” she offered casually. Not a single sweatdropped. Her skin actually felt pretty cold.

“Maybe…” he said thoughtfully. With that, she walked away. Alive.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Did he really just heal you, Itachi?” Kisame mused as they leaped away.

“Yes.”

“How interesting. I wonder if the little brat will ever find out what he just did,” he chuckled, really entertained by Konoha’s shinobi stupidity.

“Hn.” Itachi was not as much amused. He recognized that mask covered face and pink hair. It took a while but he remembered seeing the boy _that_ night. There was only a single pink-haired person he ever met. 

He was perplexed by the audacity the boy had. To have not a single drop of fear or regard for his own life, was unusual for a child that age. Maybe the boy really didn’t recognize him? Itachi had a lot on his mind for the next couple of weeks.

On the other hand, Uchiha could not get enough of the little details he could now see with his regular eyes. The difference was like night and day. He could _see_ again. Not as perfect as with his sharingan, but a considerable improvement.

It turns out that sparing the boy’s life was a good thing after all. Was this good karma paying back for his kindness? Itachi inhaled deeply with ease. His chest felt light and no longer obstructed. It was an amazing feeling to breathe fully again.

━━━━━━━━━━

She just lied to Itachi Uchiha’s face and lived to tell about it! HA! That improved her mood. As Sakura moved ahead a flash of green flickered in the distance. She blinked and the same flash was already in front of her.

“Yo.”

“Young Saku-kun! What brings you out here?” Guy sensei smiled at her. She noticed incapacitated Sasuke on his back. She only nodded her head towards the boy.

“Uchiha rushed out like there was a fire. So I guessed there _was_ a fire and followed to make sure he didn't kill himself.”

“Your comradery is a sight to behold! Your youthful spirit warms my heart. Kakashi surely taught you well,” Guy cried with rainbows behind him.

“Mmm.. Sure? So, was there a big fire?” she asked more seriously. If Guy was concerned, he hid it well behind his bright smile.

“Noting you should be concerned, young Saku-kun! Your teammate and sensei will be good as new in no time!”

“Kakashi-sensei is hurt too?” she pretended to be clueless. 

“Not to worry! My rival is stronger than anyone I have ever faced. Now let’s go back to the village,” he casually changed the subject. Sakura allowed it and followed the man back to Konoha. It’s good that he came when he did. Ten minutes sooner, and he would have witnessed her encounter with the rogue Uchiha.

━━━━━━━━━━

After a few days Konoha was buzzing with the big news. The Fifth Hokage was chosen. The public ceremony date was set. Sakura was a bit anxious to see her old shisho alive again. For now, she made sure to avoid the hospital and Hokage tower. 

Besides, there were other plans she had to take care of. ANBU no longer tracked her movements and it made her plotting much easier. Deep in the forest, Sakura nicked her thumb and brushed blood over her summoning tattoo. With a poof of smoke, a white raven appeared.

“ **Saku, nice to see you again.** ”

“Nice to see you too, Yuki,” she smiled at the bird.

“ **How may I be of service?** ”

“Alright. I will need your power of conspiracy for an actual conspiracy,” she grinned under her mask.

“ **Very fitting. Please continue,** ” Yuki gave a nod eyes glimmering. The bird looked excited?

Sakura took two storage scrolls from her pouch. Then she proceeded to explain her elaborate plan. This will be dangerous. If she will be caught, she will have to flee. That plan, plan X, was already prepared in her mind for that case. Now, talking with Yuki she explained everything she wanted the bird to do.

“We will have only one shot at this and everything has to be done simultaneously, without leaving a trace. You will have to push at your limits. As soon as _it_ is completed, disappear.”

“ **Understood. That will not be a problem. A thousand clones of myself should suffice?** ”

“Yes!” Sakura was vibrating positively with excitement. “Alright. We’re gonna do it during Hokage’s ceremony with shinobi. I will summon you in the morning of that day.”

“ **I shall see you then, Saku. Take care,** ” the bird disappeared again after a respectful nod thrown her way.

━━━━━━━━━━


	19. Hokage of the Leaf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From here on the story will have more canon divergence.

Sakura still avoided the hospital, even though Naruto urged her to see how Lady Tsunade will heal everyone.

“Pass. I hate hospitals,” she murmured leaving the blond alone in the street. Quickly she jumped away to the roofs. If she could, Sakura decided to drag on meeting slug sannin as much as possible.

“Oy, kid, what are you doing here?” someone called to Sakura as she entered one of the training grounds. The girl looked around until she noticed none other than Hayate standing in the field with his katana drawn.

“Sorry. Didn’t know this one was taken,” she gave a small apologetic bow and turned to leave.

“Do you know how to wield those swords of yours?”

Sakura stopped and glanced back. She looked closely at the man’s expression. There was only one question in her mind - why? Why was he talking with her? Why did he ask that? Why did she even care about his reasoning? She wrote off all her doubts to her paranoia.

“I am okay with them,” she shrugged answering honestly.

“Let’s see,” he nodded for her to come closer. Curiosity piqued, Sakura stepped into the field. Her hands fell on the hilts of her wakizashi blades instinctively.

That is how Sakura ended up sparing with Hayate Gekko. He turned out to be quite a master of kenjutsu. 

“Not bad, kid. But you need to work on your speed. Also, it’s not just swords that you are holding. They have to become like an extension of your arm,” he explained and she soaked in every word like a sponge.

“Gekko-san, why are you helping me?” she couldn’t hold back the burning question. The man in front of her coughed before answering.

“I noticed your wakizashi blades the other day when we met. You look like you needed a nudge in the right direction. That is all, kid,” a very polite way of saying that she needed a teacher. She really did.

“... Thank you… could… could we spar again sometime?” she carefully asked holding her breath. It was hard to accept that she couldn’t do everything alone. She needed help in subjects that were new to her. She needed a sensei.

“Sure. I’ll send you a message, when I have time,” Sakura positively beamed at him and gave a violent nod. Hayate smirked at her before they parted ways.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura stood mixed in the big crowd of people below the Hokage Tower. How tiresome was this whole thing. People clapped and cheered seeing the figure of Fifth Hokage. Sakura didn’t join in. Public Hokage inauguration ceremony took ages.

“Hey, Saku. Why are you so glum?” Shikamaru approached her casually.

“I am always like this?”

“Nah, you're not… what, you also not a fan of a woman being the Hokage?”

“Also?” she curled her eyebrow for the first time getting really annoyed with Shikamaru. Right, she almost forgot how sexist the boy would sometimes be. How much he whined about having to fight girls in both of his fights in her past. 

“Yeah. When dad told me, I was not a fan. Like seriously, a girl Hokage? Girls are troublesome.”

“Maybe you are just intimidated by her strength?”

“No way. I just had experience working with Ino in one team. Telling you, girls are trouble. You are lucky to be in a team with Naruto and Sasuke.”

“Ha! Uchiha can outgirl any girl when he’s moody,” she scoffed turning away to look back at the tower. Shikamaru giggled by her side. As far as he knew, Sakura was teasing Sasuke because there was a weird rivalry between them. At least that is what Sakura lead him to think.

“Oh, by the way, Saku, my father said to invite you to dinner today again.”

“Why?” she looked suspiciously at the boy. 

“No idea. Probably to talk about the chunin exams.”

“But why me?” Sakura wasn’t buying it. There was something Nara wasn’t telling her.

“Listen, just come and you can ask him yourself, yeah?”

“Fine,” she had to give in eventually. Shikamaru’s eyes were almost at the Naruto-puppy-eye level. A very dangerous tool to have.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Saku-kun, it is good to see you again! Please come on in,” Shikamaru’s mother greeted her at the door. She bowed and stepped inside, shoes left behind by the door. She walked familiar corridor towards the old stylish dining room.

“Yo,” she raised a hand after entering. Quickly, her eyes went over _other_ guests that already sat by the table. The whole original Ino-Shika-Cho team was there sitting next to each other. Shikamaru was napping across his father. Sakura sat down next to her friend not bothered by him being asleep. She was pretty sure it was his natural state of being.

“Ah, Saku-kun, welcome. Today my friends will be joining us for diner as well. This is Choza Akimichi and that right there is Inoichi Yamanaka,” Shikaku introduced making a weird pause before the last name. Sakura bowed at each of them with respect.

“Thank you, for having me,” she added an extra sprinkle of politeness for such an occasion.

“So, Saku-kun, I heard you had a pretty interesting fight in the finals,” Inoichi went right ahead pupilless eyes never leaving the sight of the boy. This was no sharingan, so Sakura didn’t even fidget under his gaze.

“It was okay.”

“Well, it so happens we had to patrol and couldn’t see it, could you tell us how it went down?” Inoichi continued while Shikaku drank his sake hiding a smirk behind his cup. Sakura caught that. 

“Mm.. Alright?” not like she could refuse three prominent clan heads. Annoying clan people with their annoying demands. She proceeded to skim over her fight with Temari.

“He took a whole cloud and dragged it to the arena!” from the ground Shikamaru perked up adding his two cents to the conversation.

“I just needed some water for the Water Prison,” she shrugged casually. Elders looked at each other with some conversation clearly happening behind the scenes.

“Why Water Prison?” Shikaku asked.

“To show my skills in incapacitating the target effectively and without any means for escaping. Even Kakashi-sensei couldn’t get out of Water Prison when we got into that scuffle with Zabuza,” she tried to explain without looking like some attention-seeking child, what she actually was on many levels.

“Scuffle?” Shikaku giggled aware of what actually went on during the Waves mission.

“I see. And during the preliminaries you fought against my daughter, Ino, right?” oh oh. Now Sakura shifted in her seat. Was she in trouble? Maybe she mistook Inoichi for a good man and actually, he will kill her right here in cold revenge for his daughter’s failure.

“Yes?” Sakura mustered a response. Her eyes dared to look at the Yamanaka clan head. This was risky, but what the hell. If she gonna die, she might as well face the man. Calmly she waited for what will happen next.

“Tell me about that fight,” Inoichi leaned in placing his chin on folded fingers. His expression told her nothing. 

“Yes, sir. I used a senbon and rendered her paralyzed,” well that was an efficient way of putting it, but their fight was indeed short.

“Paralyzed? Isn’t that dangerous as you might miss the pressure point and cause harm?” Choza finally joined their conversation.

“Yes, Akimichi-sama. But I am very much familiarised with human anatomy so I had no doubt in my senbon hitting the right point of such target.”

“ _Such target_?” Inoichi raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, Yamanaka-sama. To be frank, this was an unfortunate pairing. At this point, Ino-san technique is too slow and could not be used in battle effectively. Ino-san is too slow at this moment,” Sakura tried very hard to say it politely. To say that yes, even if Ino was weak now, she believed that the girl could get faster and stronger.

“I see.”

“Saku-kun, what would have you done in Ino’s place?” Shikaku asked her with curiosity. The man was already aware of her strategic skills, so he effectively provoked her to consider Ino as some shogi piece and tell them how to win with it.

“At the moment, with her current training… hmmm,” she seriously considered her answer for a moment. “First, no talking. It waists time. Second, immobilize the target with wire for example. Third, use the Yamanaka clan technique to make the target surrender. OR kick the target down out cold,” she offered with a shrug in the end. Shikaku looked somewhat pleased with her answer. Choza was eating. Inoichi looked contemplative.

━━━━━━━━━━

When Saku left and Shikamaru went to bed, three men were still sitting around the table with their sake cups full.

“You were right, Shikaku, I didn’t notice the boy eating once! Yet his plate was empty,” Choza reflected on their evening.

“So, Inoichi, what do you think? You went pretty hard on him there,” Shikaku asked his dear blond friend. Yet another instance where he thanked gods for having a son and not a daughter.

“Well, I am glad that he apparently knows medical ninjutsu and the chance of him killing Ino was smaller than I initially thought after hearing how he incapacitated her. But...”

“But?” Shikaku raised his eyebrow in tandem with his lifted cup of sake.

“But how a boy with such skills appears in our radar only now?”

“I overheard that Lord Third actually monitored him for a while. Looks like Kakashi really helped him to hone his skills into a lethal weapon arsenal,” Shikaku said slowly.

“Hmmm. Honestly, I didn’t expect Hatake to be such a good sensei. His whole team went to the finals and two members actually officially won their fights. Very impressive for a bunch of genin,” Inoichi drank as well.

“Should we grab Kakashi for food one of these days? Inoichi, you could check if the rumors about him and Saku-kun are true,” Choza suggested.

“Ah! I would never abuse my powers like that!” blond overreacted while internally already planned a psychological questionnaire for Hatake. If that Haruno turned out to be Hatake, he might just approve of a union with his dearest Ino.

━━━━━━━━━━

“The final exam being suspended it was the opinion of many, that none of the students should pass this time around and that includes you. However, I hear that the Third Hokage had nothing but the highest praise for your matches. It seems he meant to recommend you for chunin. In fact, all of those who observed the fights and your proctors felt the same. So in this case, my opinion doesn’t really matter. From this day forth I hope you will strive to achieve a level of excellence worthy of that headband. Congratulations. As of this moment, you stand a chunin Shikamaru Nara and Saku Haruno.”

Well, that just happened. Sakura found it hard to contain herself. As a good shinobi, she had to lock away her emotions. As a constantly belittled and put down person, she wanted to cheer on top of her lungs.

“Thank you, Hokage-sama,” both of them bowed in sync. Their new flack vests were given to the pair and they left.

“Well, fuck,” Sakura muttered putting the vest on right away.

“Saku! Jeezus, since when do you curse?”

“Since always?”

“You clean your act around us, don’t you?”

“Maybe,” she grinned under her mask, but her eyes glimmered with the same mischief allowing Shikamaru to recognize the expression she was showing him.

Then young Nara left to celebrate this promotion with his team. Sakura considered what to do. Neither Sasuke nor Naruto would react well to this. That moment, she felt once more like an outsider from Team Seven. She was standing in the middle of the crowd and yet she was completely alone. 

It hurt to think, that nothing much changed between her and the boys. They still cared about each other as if nothing else around them existed.

At that moment, Sakura really wanted to punch both of them in the guts. To see their faces contort in pain. To make them cry. To make them feel what _she_ was feeling.

“Tomorrow..” _...they will know pain._ She finished the thought in her head.

━━━━━━━━━━

Tomorrow was the official inauguration part with shinobi only. The day came like any other. Clouds covering the sky. Perfect veil for her plans.

“Yuki, I trust in you,” Sakura nodded to her summon.

“ **Our mission will be a success, young Saku,** ” raven gave a nod before flying away. She had to go as well. One hour left. 

From a distance, Sakura noticed a ball of yellow and orange next to black. Her two asshole of teammates were walking together towards the Hokage Tower. Without her. She took two deep breaths before appearing next to them.

“Yo.”

“Saku, hey,... wait! Why are you wearing that vest????” Naruto pointed an accusing finger at her.

“I was promoted to chunin.”

“Whaaat?? Why didn’t you tell us?” the blond looked torn between hurt, excitement, and disappointment. All emotions mixed together into one.

“Why didn’t you tell me about your _little_ fight with Akatsuki?”

“It’s none of your business,” Sasuke snapped at her.

“Yeah, Saku, it probably would be better if you wouldn’t get involved. You can get hurt,” Naruto looked concerned. He probably was thinking that everything was his fault. That Sasuke was hurt because of the demon trapped inside of him.

In the meantime, Sakura was enraged. Once again she was nothing in their eyes. A weakling to be protected. Not a thing was said by her in response. Three of them walked with a tense silence.

Shortly they stood in the middle of the crowd on the Hokage tower roof. It was a shinobi only part of the new Hokage inauguration. They all faced Tsunade ready to hear her speech. Kakashi was somewhere in the back. Sakura didn’t care too much anymore to look for him. Fuck Team Seven.

Sakura focused on her breathing and beating heart instead of listening. In. Out. In. Out. She kept a steady _normal_ pace even when all she wanted was to let out a manic laugh. 

“...as your Hokage, I…” Tsunade spoke seriously, but shortly fell silent as a piece of paper slowly descended from the sky in front of her. In. Out. In. Out. Blond woman looked up, other shinobi followed her gaze. Sakura was one of them. Her green eyes focused on a weirdly shaped cloud. In. Out. In. Out. 

ANBU agents appeared beside Tsunade on alert. Everyone waited, but no attack came. Only more paper fell from the sky without any trace of where it was coming from. Shinobi looked suspiciously at white leaves as if they would blow up if touched. Nothing happened.

Naturally, people started to pick up the leaves and read over what was written on them. Sakura followed their example even though she was fully aware of what she will find. These were the many copies of the documents she had stolen. In. Out. In. Out. 

…

 _Lord Third, I request these people for Root. D.S._ Note followed by a list of names. Clan names. Orphan names. There were multiple Aburame even Yamanaka listed. A few Uchiha also managed to make the cut long side rare Nara mention. 

_Request approved. Make sure a seal of silence is placed on them to prevent any leak of information. Regular training should be enforced right away. H.S._

_Understood. Root will follow the usual pairing up method we agreed upon. In two-year training, each of the pair will have to try and kill the other. The one left will be officially recruited._

...

_Request for experimentation approved. I will send over Orochimaru to work on your project. H.S._

_Lord Third, looks like our project is getting more heat than we expected. We have to erase our involvement. D.S._

_I will take care of Orochimaru. Make sure that the correct narrative is spread afterward. Orochimaru will take full responsibility. H.S._

…

 **Mission:** Assassinate Hiruzen Sarutobi  
**Assigned to:** Hinoe, Hinoto, Kanoe, Kanoto, Kinoe, Kinoto, Mizunoe, Mizunoto, Tsuchinoe, Tsuchinoto.  
**Approved by:** Danzo Shimura  
**Outcome:** Failure  
**Goal:** Root members to be disguised as a foreign group. Mission failed as Kakashi Hatake informed the Third Hokage of the mission and took the Third's place and lured out the assailants.

...

 **Mision:** Retrieve Kakashi Hatake's Sharingan  
**Assigned to:** Kinoe and Kinoto  
**Approved by:** Danzo Shimura  
**Outcome:** Failure  
**Goal:** Collect a replacement sharingan to Shisui Uchiha’s right eye that is rejecting the transplantation. Kakashi Hatake’s disappearance will not attract much attention, considering his bad reputation and not being a member of the Uchiha. Mission failed due to agent Kinoe.

…

 **Mission:** Uchiha Clan Alienation  
**Assigned to:** Multiple  
**Approved by:** Danzo Shimura  
**Outcome:** Success  
**Goal:** Uchiha clan suspected to be behind Kyubi attack. They are a threat to Konoha. Clan has to be moved to the farthest compound and watched at all times. 

...

 **Mission:** Intercept Coup d'État  
**Assigned to:** Itachi Uchiha  
**Approved by:** Konoha Council  
**Outcome:** Success  
**Goal:** Uchiha clan has to be eliminated to prevent their Coup d'État. Itachi Uchiha successfully eliminated all clan members. As agreed, it was allowed to let Sasuke Uchiha live in return. Itachi will take full responsibility for the act.

...

_Lord Third, Uchiha eyes retrieval was a success. Root intercepted Uchiha bodies before they were found out. I expect to implant the eyes in the next seven months. From my experience adjusting to Shisui Uchiha eye, it takes time to fully take control of Sharingan. D.S._

_Keep me updated on your progress. With fully evolved sharingan we will be able to take full control of the fox. H.S._

…

Sakura inhaled sharply. This was a hefty bag of dirty laundry that she just aired. Various sabotage missions. Killings of clan members. Kidnappings of Konoha people by Konoha people. The whole Uchiha affair. The dirt and shameful acts were never-ending. 

Not only did she ask her raven Yuki to rain down this information on the roof for all Konoha shinobi to see, but originals were left tied with a white ribbon on Tsunade’s desk. And that was not all either! Just to make sure, that every nin of the Leaf village would know the full and whole truth, Sakura also ordered Yuki to deliver copies of these documents to each shinobi’s home. She was just that thorough in her works.

All that Sakura had to do now, was to lean back and watch the chaos unravel. She felt how more and more shinobi eyed Sasuke. Most shinobi had various emotions on display ranging from shock to anger to pain. Young Uchiha next to her was shivering, pages clenched in his hand. The air around him sparkled with electricity.

Naruto on the other side of her looked dumbfounded like a lost puppy. Tension on this roof could be felt a mile away. Not a single soul dared to move.

Only three minutes passed since the first pages dropped from the sky. It felt like time went still. Everything after that happened in a blink of an eye.

One second, Sakura heard practically a growl let out by nonother than Sasuke. The ground was cracking under the boy’s feet. Chakra around him was almost visible. The next second masked figures surrounded the three of them. The lucky team seven was surrounded by at least twelve Root operatives.

Sakura didn’t even manage to count exactly how many there were when she felt being grabbed and then there was only darkness. She was incapacitated alongside Sasuke and Naruto. The three of them were instantly transported to the depths of Root HQ.

━━━━━━━━━━


	20. A Shinobi with Emotions

Disgusting. Sarada had to scrub the blood off her home floor by herself.

“Seriously? Couldn’t you have done it outside or in the bathroom...” she complained aloud while rinsing the rag. No matter. She will do it and do it well. The girl was determined not to let this _event_ stop her in her tracks. 

“I swear… if they will not make me a Hokage, because of what _she_ did… UGH!” Sarada continued to mumble with real frustration. Her mother was so troublesome. Always on brink of tears, so whiny.

“I’d rather be training…” a sigh escaped her lips as she changed the crimson water in the bucket. It turned out to be quite a mission to clean off the blood from hardwood. Maybe she needed some bleach?

━━━━━━━━━━

Kakashi was wandering around the village like a homeless dog. Memorial stone was not giving him any solace dealing with Sakura’s death. Her name was not there and he couldn’t bring himself to stand in front of her grave knowing where her body was actually located.

Naruto still banned him from missions. That is a very cruel thing to do. To leave such an old man alone with his thoughts. Passing Konoha’s hospital something clutched his heart. Sakura. She used to drag him for checkups. The only reason why he was in such a good physical shape still.

He walked away without a clear destination in mind. The guilt was almost too much to handle. Kakashi was feeling shortness of breath again and had to stop. Looking around he realized, that he stood on the top of Konoha mountain. Slowly he sat down on a bench.

He stared blindly into the sunset. Face blank of emotions. He wanted to scream.

“Kakashi,” a familiar voice called for him. He didn’t move.

“Guy,” he only said still looking ahead. On his right, copy-nin heard his friend’s wheelchair pull up by his side.

There was silence for a bit. What could anyone say in a situation like that? Sorry? It will pass? It was not your fault? Nothing you could have done? Bull. Shit.

“I am here for you, Kakashi,” and there is Guy who manages to pick exactly the right thing to say. Kakashi almost choked up hearing the gentle tone in his friend’s voice.

“I wasn’t there for _her_... Guy, I failed her. I might as well be the one with the blade cutting her up,” Kakashi’s voice was muffled and weak. Pain leaked from him.

“We all failed her, Kakashi.”

“I should have known something was up… I should have noticed the signs...”

For a rare occasion, Guy was serious as he spoke. 

“My eternal rival, Sakura-chan is in a better place now. With no pain. She is free. I know you feel pain. You must let it go.”

“...”

“Kakashi, I don’t want you to break too.”

“...”

“Please.”

“It is breaking me. Every time something happens there is a piece of myself that is being chipped away. I don’t think there is anything left,” Kakashi dared to look into his friend’s eyes. He couldn’t joke or pretend. He just couldn’t show any emotion anymore. Even fake.

“Kakashi… it is okay to cry. I am here with you,” Guy placed his bandaged hand on Kakashi’s shoulder and squeezed lightly. 

“...”

Guy didn’t let go. Eye contact unbroken. Until Kakashi finally gave in. After that first tear rolled down his cheek, there were no stopping others that followed. Hunched over, head buried in his hands, Kakashi sobbed. Guy sat by his side in silence, hand gently stroking his back in a soothing motion.

“It’s m m my fault…”

“No, Kakashi, it is not.”

“I let her d d d down!”

“It’s okay. You did everything you could.”

“I messed up a a again.”

The grown man stuttered as he poured out the dark depressing content of his mind out into his friend’s lap. Thoughts were random and almost incoherent. But it didn’t really matter. Guy was still there for him to listen.

Kakashi always hid behind his mask. Face absent of any emotions. He was an exemplary shinobi. Today, that perfect side of him took a day off. He was a mess leaking emotions of all sorts.

“I regret never really taking my time with her,” after a while, he could speak more clearly. Kakashi stopped crying ten minutes ago and felt surprisingly lighter.

“You know, she had so much potential. I saw it. But was too scared. Too scared, that she will end up like Rin. Looking at her face that was the only thing I could see.”

“Mmm, Rin. Yes, I remember her,” Guy nodded as he casually would during this conversation.

“I… I still sometimes feel her heart in my hand… the feeling never fully goes away…” Kakashi admitted for the first time out loud. This was surreal. He felt like he was watching a trainwreck from a distance. He could not stop the word vomit that threatened to come out.

“Oh.. Kakashi… I… I am so sorry,” Guy looked heartbroken. He never imagined that this was how his best friend felt all these years. 

“Everyone around me dies,” the words were followed with silence. Their weight settled on Guy’s shoulders like a boulder he used for practice.

“This is our life as a shinobi. We are tools that are not destined to live long.”

“Mhmm.”

“Did… it feel any less painful to lose Neji in battle?” Kakashi asked looking in the distance. He wasn’t being mean or spiteful. He really wanted to know. 

“Ah, Neji. My dear student. He shined bright before being free. In a way, he and Sakura were the same. They both were caged birds. Only Neji’s restrained just like his pain were more visible. And no, I do not think that it hurt any less to lose him in battle,” Guy admitted grimly with nostalgia in his eyes.

Kakashi gave a faint nod. Guy understood him. They both lost a student and shared the pain of their loss. Maybe, he will never stop blaming himself. Maybe, he will never forget how it felt to crush Rin’s heart. But now, he felt like he could live with it at least.

The pain felt numb. Kakashi felt empty. His head hurt, eye tingled. But he also felt relief. That thing that clutched his throat was gone. He could breathe again.

“Thank you, Guy.”

“I am always here for you, Kakashi.”

━━━━━━━━━━


	21. Roots in The Dark

Kakashi wasn’t the same when he woke up in the hospital. Experiencing Tsukuyomi for three days was like no torture he had ever undergone in the past. He didn’t even have the energy to be surprised to find Tsunade berating him. Of all the people, _she_ was back in the village.

Thankfully, he was left alone as everyone rushed to check on Guy’s student. Kakashi dressed and left through the window. His bones felt tired and groggy. He needed to work out, was the only thought on his mind. It had absolutely nothing to do with how Itachi dominated him. Not at all.

Approaching his favorite training ground, Kakashi recognized the sounds of clashing metal. Intrigued he got closer and watched the field taking refuge in dense trees. His eye instantly recognized a familiar blob of pink moving quickly to attack… Hayate? Right. Gekko was always good with his sword, no wonder his student got the man to spar.

He was truly happy to see his student training. He really was. But… there was also a weird feeling in his heart weighing him down. What was it? Disappointment? Guilt? Betrayal? ...Sadness? Kakashi was not a fan of whatever he was feeling. So he did what he does best - vanish into thin air.

Thankfully, in the next few days he safely managed to avoid his team. Kakashi didn’t however avoid being dragged to a bar by Guy.

“Was this really necessary?” he complained.

“Well of course! We have to celebrate!”

“Celebrate what exactly?”

“You and Asuma of course!” Kakashi was completely lost at that. He probably missed something when he was out of commission. Did something else happen during their encounter with Itachi?

“Kakashi, here,” Asuma pushed a glass of some strong drink his way.

“I am still not sure what exactly we are celebrating,” Kakashi muttered sitting down with the group of familiar people. Kurenai was sitting closely next to Asuma. Guy sat down next to him. 

“Unbelievable… Kakashi! Didn’t you hear? Chunin promotions were announced today,” Kurenai explained.

“Oh…” he blinked. “I see, so Shikamaru got it? No surprise. Congratulations Asuma,” he nodded in approval. For some reason, people around him still looked at him in a strange way. “What?”

“I swear… how are you even a jonin,” Asuma giggled. “Yes, of course, Shikamaru was promoted. So was Saku Haruno, ever heard of him?”

Kakashi blinked again as his mind processed the information. Well of course Saku would get the promotion! Why didn't the boy tell him, though? … oh, right, he was avoiding his team. Ups.

“Mmm, well that was to be expected,” he only said nonchalantly. He pretended to be calm and collected, despite how unpleasant it felt to hear about how Asuma and his team already managed to celebrate Shikamaru’s promotion.

 _Tomorrow. After the inauguration ceremony, I will take them out…_ Kakashi decided.

━━━━━━━━━━

Tomorrow was the official inauguration part with shinobi only. The day came like any other. Clouds covering the sky. Very gloomy, Kakashi decided staring up from the memorial stone. It was about time to go. For once, Kakashi wanted to approach his team before the whole Tsunade business starts.

Copy-nin quickly located his little troublemakers. As expected they were headed towards the Hokage tower. Strangely, all of them were quiet. There was tension in the air. Looks like yet again he missed something.

A small frown curved his lips. He didn’t approach and refrained to watch from afar. Green flack vest was something new he noticed on Saku. Kakashi guessed, that it was as much of news for Sasuke and Naruto as it was for him. Sigh. Why couldn’t they just be a proper team? Why do his students have to be rivals with each other?

Thoughtful, he stood in the back. A lone eye would glance at the backs of his students. 

“...as your Hokage, I…” Tsunade’s voice suddenly went silent. Kakashi looked up in search of the cause of such disruption. Conveniently, a couple of sheets of paper descended around him as well. Actually, white leaves were everywhere he looked.

Kakashi took one closest to him and quickly read over it. His body tensed. Some of the information there was painfully familiar. The fact that information concerning him was true, would mean that other information was true as well... Meaning… Itachi. He wanted to exhale, but the breath was caught in his chest.

How could this be true? How could… their Hokage allow this? Even encourage these horrid acts?! A crackling of chakra brought Kakashi back to reality from his thoughts. He looked up feeling his heart drop… Sasuke. He was about to jump to the boy to maybe try and calm him down when masked operatives appeared surrounding his students.

The moment of surprise was enough for Kakashi to be late. When he landed where his students stood a moment ago, there was no sign of them or the masked operatives. His heart was racing.

Without wasting another moment, Kakashi appeared in front of Tsunade. He had to move fast. The fact that Root acted out so in the open, was another confirmation that all the information in those papers that fell from the sky had to be true.

“Hokage-sama. Those were Root operatives. I believe they will try to flee with Naruto as insurance,” he quickly said while fighting his body to wait for a command. He wanted to run after his students without wasting any more time. But he couldn’t. He waited like the good shinobi that he was.

“Hatake, in my office, now,” she ordered. Her expression was sour as she ordered other shinobi what to do. “You six, arrest elders, and I want them under observation in T&I. You, gather a team and track how exactly _this_ ,” she held out a bunch of papers clenched in her hand, “happened. I want to know who’s behind this. I want everyone on alert! These are serious accusations that I will not take lightly. Increase border patrol and watch for shinobi that will try to defect. Shikaku, Shibi, and Inoichi follow me,” she glanced at the three clan heads. Kakashi joined their little group as they quickly gathered in the Hokage office.

Doors closed. He noticed a stack of scrolls and papers in the center of Tsunade’s desk. Wrapped with a white ribbon. Another person appeared next to him. It was ANBU commander.

“Hatake, is this true? The things mentioned about you?” he nodded quickly in response, eyes serious.

“Nara, Aburame, Yamanaka, do these people of your clans belong to Root?” all three men reluctantly nodded. There was some hesitation. No one really went to Root on their own volition. Tsunade sighed.

“Commander, why did your agents capture team seven members?” she stared down the masked man with brown spiky hair.

“Those were Root operatives, Hokage-sama. They follow only Danzo-sama orders,” the last confirmation of how dire the situation was.

“Hatake, why do you think Root is going to flee?”

“Considering most of the information we learned is true, it might turn out that all of it is true. In that case, the Konoha council would face judgment for their illegal actions. Kidnappings. Dojutsu theft. Massacre. As Naruto is a Jinchuriki of the Leaf, he is a valuable bargaining chip at least. Worst case, he could be bargained away to Akatsuki for protection,” Kakashi said his thoughts out loud without emotions in his tone. Somewhere beside him, Nara whined.

“I agree with Kakashi. It all points that Root will either flee with Naruto or use him as a distraction to escape unnoticed,” Shikaku said talking about a potential Kyuubi attack. Just great. 

“Sasuke, being the last Uchiha, is probably taken for his eyes. If what we read is true, it means that Danzo has possession of other sharingan eyes. I would assume that that is exactly what he is hiding under his bandages,” Kakashi had to say it. Dojutsu theft was disgusting and maybe it was hypocritical of him to talk about it in the first place. Considering he had a sharingan eye as well. The difference is, that his eye was a gift. He would never fall so low to steal…

“That damn Danzo...” Tsunade muttered as she bit her thumb. “Alright. Kakashi, if Danzo really has sharingan, you will be our best bet to apprehend him. Take with you Genma, Hayate, Guy, and Tokuma (Hyuga). We cannot let Danzo get away with this!” Tsunade didn’t have to say it twice. Kakashi was already gone collecting his impromptu team, while his ninken sniffed around for an entrance to Root HQ.

━━━━━━━━━━

“...make sure… keep sedated… seal eyes…” Sakura woke up catching glimpse of words. Her head was pounding. Why was it hurting? Why didn’t her body heal itself yet? Eyes closed, frozen in place, she reached out for her chakra. 

There it was. Warm and fuzzy within her. When Sakura tried to move her chakra, that is when she felt it… she had no control over it! It was there, but unmoving. 

“We must move, Lord Danzo,” she could hear now more clearly as the haze over her head diminished. Sakura guessed, that some kind of quick poison in combination with a medical jutsu variation was used. 

She didn’t dare to open her eyes yet. Better to gather information, she decided to focus on her other senses. First, she was bound. Sakura felt heavy cuffs on her wrists. Her arms were stretched to the sides, raised to her shoulder level. There was also a heavy thing, a chain?, around her abdomen. And her ankles also felt restrained to the floor. She could not move a muscle out of place. 

There were noises around her too. She heard steps. Wire being stretched. The clang of kunai. But not a fighting kind of sound. Agh, this was really getting annoying. Sakura was ready, she convinced herself, as her eyes fluttered open. 

Indeed, looks like she was chained to the floor. Her hands were chained to the walls. She was in a kneeling position. Looking around, she couldn’t see Sasuke or Naruto. There were only men with masks around. She curiously tracked their movements… they were… they were… setting up traps! Wires, paper bombs, and more paper bombs. 

“Ah, you are the first one to wake up. Good. Don’t even try to struggle. Those are chakra suppressing cuffs you are wearing,” a harsh voice sounded from behind her. Danzo. A shiver went down her spine. The girl wondered if he found out that it was her doing…

“Lord Danzo, the traps are almost ready. We only need to fasten them to the bait,” one operative approached the man behind her. Bait? … Oh Kami! She was the bait, wasn’t she? Sometimes, Sakura hatted being smart and figuring things out. Blissful ignorance would have given her at least some peace of mind.

“Good. We have to get going either way before they send shinobi here. Take Jinchuriki with team one and Uchiha with team two,” he ordered. Masked man poofed out of existence to presumably enforce the order he was given.

Sakura was left alone in this corridor(?) with Danzo. It was hard to know where exactly she was, but probably in the opposite direction of where Root was going. That’s how baits and decoys work.

“I suggest you don’t move,” Danzo leaned in close to her ear as he spoke words that cut with cruel mirth. She felt how a kunai was stabbed to her side. Silence. No movement.

“Good. It is really a shame, that I will have to blow you up. But in the end, Naruto and Sasuke are worth more,” he said walking in front of her now as of matter of fact. She finally could see the man. Danzo no longer pretended to need a walking stick. In his hand, Sakura noticed four more kunai with trap wires attached to them.

As expected, those kunai soon were impaled into her skin. One to her thigh. Another to her bicep. Third just below her ribcage. The last one… The devil that Danzo was, hung the last kunai pointing right to her eye. One move from her and it would stab her in the eye. One trigger of the traps and it would stab her. One tug of wires that are attached to kunai in her body - traps are triggered.

Sakura held her breath. Without chakra, she could not heal herself. She could not attack Danzo. She could not do anything. Not even talk back. Pathetic… NO! She will not give up like that. She cannot move? Fine. She cannot use chakra? Fine. There is always a way…

Her head worked overtime as she considered her options. Danzo left her alone in the darkness surrounded by wire and paper bombs and kunai. She was like a little fly caught on a spiderweb. Desperately she tried again to reach for her chakra. It was beyond frustrating to feel it, but not be able to use it… But maybe…

An idea popped to her head. As she couldn’t do anything physically, Sakura focused on her breathing - the only thing she could do. She tried to sync the pulsing of her chakra to her breathing. It was slowly working.

Maybe Sakura couldn’t channel her chakra, but she definitely still could control its levels and pulsation with her breath alone. Trap. Decoy. Trap. Decoy. Trap. Decoy. In a tap code, she announced those two words to whoever would try approaching her. Any sensor would recognize this basic chakra tap messaging. She hopped.

━━━━━━━━━━

Tsunade glared at the three men still left standing in her office. Sure, she understood how challenging Hokage’s job could be, but this? She never expected to find out about the dark side of Konoha. Konoha’s dark roots.

“Care to explain?” she was losing all her patience.

“They disappear without a trace. We had our suspicions,” Aburame clan head was the one to speak up first.

“Danzo would call it ‘recruitment’ of shinobi with great potential,” Inoichi added with bitterness to his words. Seeing his clansmen’s names on the list was painful. Even more hurt, the knowledge that some of those names were already dead because of the way Root members were trained.

“So, you approve of this?!”

“No,” Shibi said with a stern voice. “Danzo had authority and support of the council and the Third Hokage.”

Tsunade exhaled deeply. So basically, even clan kids were led to Root like some sacrificial sheep to the slaughter. What a mess. She couldn’t even think about the claims against Hiruzen. Almost defeated, she dismissed Aburame and Yamanaka.

“Shikaku, I need all jonin to be vetted. We cannot have Root in our ranks while Danzo has control over them. Make sure non of them have that seal of silence,” she looked over the page where a drawing of the seal was alongside the correspondence between Hiruzen and Danzo.

“Yes, Hokage-sama.” Nara nodded and left as well. Her business was far from over as Ibiki Morino entered her office.

“Ibiki, report,” she said tiredness clear in her voice.

“We captured elders. They did not resist or complain.”

“Start the interrogation. I need all information to be vetted. Either by them or other sources. Also, before proceeding with that, we have to make sure there are no Root members in your teams.”

“Yes, Hokage-sama!”

“Commander, work with Ibiki on this. We cannot allow the spread of this information outside Konoha. I need all Root members identified, located, and captured.”

“Yes, Hokage-sama!”

“Whoever is behind this, has to be either part of Root or other high-level shinobi. To break in and gather these scrolls… it requires skills. I want that person found…” Tsunade was annoyed. There might be a spy among them.

Shortly she was left alone with her heavy thoughts. While she avoided thinking about her sensei’s doings, Orochimaru was another deal altogether. Her teammate… he was forced outside the village just like Itachi Uchiha. Forced to do Hokages bidding and then discarded. No wonder Orochimaru finally lost it and killed the Third. Blond took the strongest sake she had and gulped straight from the bottle.

━━━━━━━━━━

Kakashi trusted the people leaping alongside him. He trusted them to bring his students back. Pakkun already picked up their scent and five of them entered dark corridors leading under the village.

“Boss, the smell goes in both directions,” Pakkun stopped at an intersection.

“I smell blood to the left,” Hayate added.

“Tokuma, do you see anything?” Kakashi turned to Hyuga. Voice cold and emotionless. He could not allow himself to feel just yet. Giving in to emotions would jeopardize a mission of such importance.

“It is blurry, but I see a couple of chakra signatures… in both directions… wait…” Hyuga scrunched his face as if his concentration was stretching.

“What is it?” Kakashi’s patience was running thin.

“Chakra in the left… one of them at least… it’s sending a message with a code… Trap. Decoy.”

“They probably anticipated us tracking blood as it is potent and set up a trap,” Genma deducted swiveling senbon to the other side of his mouth.

“It could also be a decoy of a decoy, but I doubt they had enough time to prepare that much. Alright, Genma and Hayate, check out the left side. Pakkun will go with you. I, Guy, and Tokuma will follow the scent to the right,” nobody dared to argue with Kakashi. They all at least once in their life had a teammate captured by the enemy. They could imagine how the man was feeling.

━━━━━━━━━━

So they split up and ran full force, but with caution. Eyes carefully searching for traps or hidden Root operatives.

“Here, another trap wire, shit,” Genma cursed defusing a paper bomb. The farther they went, the more they had to deal with.

“Now I see, why this is a decoy. Would take ages for all of us to go through here without blowing it up,” Hayate agreed. 

“Pakkun, do you smell anyone ahead?”

“Yeah. I can clearly smell one person ahead. The scent is one of the bosses’ pups. Pinky.” Hayate and Genma shared a look. Pinky. There was only one person that could be called like that.

“We should hurry. The smell of blood is getting stronger,” Gekko said and thankfully both of his companions agreed.

Finally, they made it to the end of the dark corridor. Closed double doors stood in front of them.

“I smell paper bombs inside,” Pakkun husked after sniffing the air close to the door frame.

“Okay, let’s not blow the kid up, yeah?” Genma managed to make a smile appear on his face despite the tricky situation they were in. They couldn’t stay out there forever. Eventually, they will have to go in. So they did. 

As they opened the door, a sound of kunai plopping on the wet floor echoed over the room. Genma noticed there was a wire going from the door to a bloody kunai… Shit. Saku was chained in the middle of the room. The kunai attached to the door probably was intended to force the boy to fall on the weapon positioned by his eye. But the boy somehow didn’t budge.

With help of their seasoned quick reflexes, they cut the trap wires and took care of paper bombs. Hayate was the first one to land by the pink-haired boy. Crimson blood colored the floor as it leaked down from multiple stab wounds.

“Haruno, you there?” man removed the kunai from the boy’s face and tried to coax a reaction from those blank green eyes. Kid probably was holding on by sheer will power. Genma landed next to them as Hayate removed couple more kunai from Saku.

“Fuck... Pinky looks like shit.”

“Let’s get him to the hospital quickly,” Hayate said cutting the chains away with his katana.

“...cuffs...off…” they heard a murmur. So the boy was still aware of his surroundings. Genma obliged and broke away the bindings off Saku’s wrists and ankles. The difference could be noticed instantly. Saku’s eyes fluttered, he inhaled sharply and his hands started to glow green as he brushed over the injuries.

“Fuckin Danzo…” they heard Saku mumble and shared a look. Genma could not hold back his smirk. He started to like the boy even more.

“Yo, kid, you shouldn’t be cursing,” Genma remarked helping Saku up on his feet.

“Yeah, we should still get you to the hospital,” Hayate agreed, putting away his katana. He was pretty sure Saku was still injured or drugged as the boy didn’t make a single sound while he was removing the kunai. He had to be drugged. Otherwise, only people who experienced intensive torture would react this way, or to be precise - not react to pain.

“No. We need to find others,” Saku insisted and they couldn’t argue. Of course, the boy would go after his teammates. Saku also looked healed and chakra reserves full. Genma and Hayate sighed but didn’t protest any longer. Shortly, they were running towards what sounded like an intense battle.

“Wait,” suddenly Saku stopped. “I remember Danzo saying to split up. One team to go with Naruto and the other with Uchiha. Can you tell who is ahead, Pakkun?”

“Hmm, I smell boss fighting four nin. There are also two more nin we came here with and… yes, I smell Naruto in that direction too.”

“Can you tell where is Sasuke?” Gekko asked the ninken. The little ball of fur walked around sniffing air intently.

“Here! It’s faint, but if we hurry, we might catch up with them,” Pakkun lead them in a different direction from the big fight they were headed to before. In no time, they actually caught up with a group of cloaked shinobi. 

Like a well-oiled machine, they all engaged in a fight. Once in a while, Hayate would make sure that the pink-haired demon was still alive. His worry turned out to be unwarranted as a huge earth-shattering bang echoed nearby. When Gekko looked back, he saw Saku in a crater with a fist down. Under the boy’s hand was incapacitated Root agent.

Genma was also surprised to see such raw chakra enhanced punch in action. He didn’t see this during the Chunin Exams. There was no time to talk or admire kid’s handy work as the fighting continued after this brief pause.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sasuke was recovered.

Naruto was recovered.

Danzo escaped.

About twenty Root operatives had fallen that day. There was no mercy from Kakashi Hatake to people who dared to threaten his students. 

Sakura was also recovered… not like anyone cared that much in the first place. She couldn’t stop thinking about Danzo’s words to her. _...in the end, Naruto and Sasuke are worth more…_ It hurt, but it was the truth. Damn Naruto… glorified weapon of Konoha… She felt bitter and didn’t even visit the boys in the hospital as she couldn’t look at them without anger and jealousy.

Genma and Hayate did manage to drag her to the hospital room for a checkup briefly. Using Kakashi’s trademark evasion methods, she leaped out of the window and ran far away from the hospital before a nurse even entered her room. She was fine. She felt fine. She wasn’t injured.

Instead of going home, Sakura found refuge in a park under a tree. She looked up at the sky allowing her thoughts to flow. Well, her plan was a success. Everyone knew the truth. Danzo was no longer in the village. Naruto looked crushed. Sasuke looked dead inside except for the moments when he sent death stares her way. Sakura still wasn’t sure why he was angry with her in particular.

And no one, absolutely no one, knew that she was behind it all.

For some reason, that part was what upset her. Sakura wanted to gloat, but she couldn’t. With a heavy sigh, she closed her eyes and took a nap.

━━━━━━━━━━


	22. Tension

“Pinky, what are you doing here?”

Sakura opened one eye. There was a figure crouched next to her.

“Napping, sensei, highly recommend.”

“You need a bath,” Kakashi pointed to her still bloody and cut attire. His lone eye lingered at the points where kunais were impaling her a few hours ago.

“Mhmmm.”

“Saku-kun, you did well today. You guys recovered Sasuke.”

“Only after I was recovered myself. I was pretty much helpless there,” she said coldly closing her eyes again. It felt like a kunai was still staring at her eye.

“You warned us about the trap and you also figured that Naruto and Sasuke were split up.”

“...” she answered nothing. Yes, that is what she did, but she allowed herself to be caught in the first place and that is unacceptable. Unwillingly she was frowning under her mask.

Abruptly, Sakura was awoken from the nap she tried to get back to. A big hand grasped her collar and she was now slung over her senseis shoulder.

“Rude,” she puffed out, crossing her arms. It was a very undignified way of treating a student.

“Maaa, pinky, my nose could not handle the smell anymore. I’m taking you for a bath. Besides, we still have to celebrate your promotion,” Kakashi explained while jumping up on a branch and towards a bathhouse.

She almost blurted out that he is a pervert. Almost. It was actually a nice gesture from him. Although, Sakura still expected him to have an ulterior motive behind it. Very soon she realized what the motive was.

“You’re an excellent healer. Not a single scar left,” Kakashi commented as they got undressed before going into the pool area. So that’s it. He probably heard about her escape from the hospital, and this was his way of checking if she was okay or not.

“Yup,” she answered not looking in his direction. Both of them left their masks on.

Bathing with classmen was one thing, but her sensei… After all, she was no thirteen-year-old girl. She was a grown-ass woman and seeing adult men was… enticing. Till now Sakura successfully steered clear of such situations. She was silent avoiding any eye contact.

“Hmm, pinky, where is that scar from?” Kakashi pointed at her exposed neck as they sat in the hot pool. Sakura blinked a couple of times, her hand instinctively brushed over her neck. Oh… that one.

“I was clumsy when I first started with my tanto,” a lie. It was actually from a time when Kizashi choked her out using a belt. She woke up to find a bloody scar that was too late to fully heal.

“Hmmm...”

“Sensei, what will happen now?”

“Hm?”

“Well, about all that information that was _dropped_ on us?” she swiftly changed the subject also making sure to look clueless as she should be. In actually, Sakura couldn’t care less about what will happen. Konoha could burn for all she cared.

“Oh. Well, first Hokage-sama will have to check if the information is true or not.”

“Do you think it is true?”

“What do you think, pinky?”

“I… don’t know…” a lie.

“Guess.”

“Hmm. Well, when you think about it it doesn’t sound _that_ unreasonable. Honestly, it sounds more unbelievable that Konoha is considered a _friendly_ village. Everyone and everything has secrets,” she shrugged. It felt like she was talking too much. Like she was letting her guard down.

“Do you have secrets, Saku-kun?”

“Of course.” Kakashi blinked at her a bit surprised at her bluntness. 

“Shouldn’t you be lying about things like that?”

“Well, having you torture yourself by guessing what my secrets are sounds far more fun, sensei,” she gave him an eye smile. This felt nice and relaxing. Passive aggressiveness with Kakashi always got her mood up.

━━━━━━━━━━

Kakashi wasn’t buying it. The excuse Saku gave him was rather insulting. A scar left by a tanto? No fuckin way. He knew how scars left by a blade looked like. The one on Saku’s neck looked off. For now, he didn’t push the boy further.

It was surprisingly nice to stay ignorant together with his student while Konoha was on a verge of civil war. Emotions running high. Clans boiling with a thirst for vengeance. Kakashi felt spent after going on his own mini rampage. Seeing lifeless Naruto sent him over the edge back there in Root HQ.

“Alright, pinky, have some rest now, okay?” he reached out to ruffle the wet hair of his student. Saku flinched for a second from the contact. Kakashi frowned noticing this pattern of behavior. Maybe if he hadn’t seen this before, he would think that experience with Root still had Saku shaken up. But he had noticed this before. The boy avoided physical contact.

“Sure, sensei, you should follow your advice too,” the boy said sagely and left with a wave of goodbye. Kakashi stood thoughtfully watching at his students back.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Sparing today,” Kakashi announced as the team gathered on their usual bridge by the training grounds. Three heads nodded. Sakura nodded despite how weird it seemed to do such a casual thing when the village shinobi were all on edge. A couple of days have passed, tensions building.

“Haruno, you and me!” Sasuke pointed an accusatory finger towards her. She raised an eyebrow. Rude. But okay, she will indulge his eagerness.

Sasuke was holding no punches back. Sharingan blazing he came at her full force. It was no big deal for Sakura to dodge, so she took it easy.

“Fight me!” Sasuke almost growled at her.

“I am.”

“No! You are holding back!” he was panting as he dodged her senbons.

“Well, sensei is against killing teammates. Kakashi-sensei, maybe you could make an exception this time?” she glanced back at the masked man who watched their fight carefully from the sidelines.

“Saku-kun, play nice,” he only responded, but there was no usual playfulness in his tone.

“Argggh!” Sasuke really wanted to provoke her. He sent maybe a dozen fireballs her way. Sakura avoided them all with grace. Her extra training with Hayate really paid off.

“HARUNO! Don’t fuckin’ hold back!”

“...” the black-haired boy stopped as she wasn’t answering him anymore. His glare was as flaming as the jutsu he just used.

“I saw how you fought those masks! Don’t you dare to hold back on me!”

“Why?”

“WHY?? Because I am going to beat you!”

“Well, I don’t see how that would be possible if you cannot beat me when I _am_ holding back?” she curved her eyebrow, eyes not amused at the childish outburst. Usually, Sasuke would challenge Naruto this way.

“GGHR!” Sasuke growled and his hand started to chipper with intense electrical chakra. She was about to dodge when Kakashi appeared before her holding Sasuke by his wrist. Chidori vanished.

“Sasuke-kun, I did not teach you this technique for you to use it against your teammates,” the voice was strangely cold as the copy-nin looked down at Uchiha.

“Pft..” Sasuke pulled his arm back and stormed out of the field.

“What is wrong with teme?” Naruto looked dumbfounded as ever.

“Naruto, you are really dobe,” she sighed. ”Uchiha is having a hard time dealing with the whole Itachi mission to kill his own clan thing.”

“Ohh...”

“Don’t worry guys. He will be okay,” Kakashi gave them his fake smile. The training was abruptly ended. Sakura didn’t feel like she even broke a sweat. 

Ten minutes later, she was already scouting for her victim. Bandana spotted! 

“Senpai! Do you have time for a spar?” She appeared before Hayate making him trip a little.

“Oh. Hey, pinky. Sure, why not,” the man nodded. At least, someone, she could count on to keep her hands busy. They were itching for another fight. 

Gekko was not holding back. Maybe this was just one of those days, she considered leaping away fast from his katana. It still nicked her arm. Without missing a beat Sakura healed her wound and continued.

She didn’t wince or show any other emotion when he brazed her skin. Maybe this was what she needed. A competent sparring partner to actually give her a challenge. Although, if she would use ninjutsu, Sakura was pretty sure that Hayate would not hold out as good. 

“Gekko-san, maybe you know anyone I could practice my ninjutsu with?” she asked when they finally finished. Her wakizashi blades rested.

“Hmm, isn’t your sensei Kakashi Hatake? The Copy nin with over a 1000 jutsu?”

“Yeah, but I think he is busy with Uchiha. You know…” she didn’t say it out loud. He knew what she was talking about. 

“Right. Mmm, let me think. Do you know Shiranui Genma?”

“Proctor from Chunin Exams finals?”

“Yup, that’s the one.”

“Where could I find him?”

“Try looking at some bars,” he suggested. Of course, that’s where the gossip king of Konoha would be. She nodded.

“Thank you… Gekko-sensei,” she bowed before disappearing.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Saku! There you are!” Shikamaru ran over to her as she was casually walking down the street in search of Genma.

“Yo,” she raised a hand. The boy looked her over intently. “What?”

“You okay? When you disappeared a few days ago…” oh right. She almost forgot about that _little_ incident. She was used to intense action over her total of 40 years of life.

“Yeah. All good. I was just a bait, for anyone who came looking was Naruto and Uchiha,” she shrugged casually. Nara looked at her with wide eyes.

“ _Just_?”

“Yeah. No big deal.”

“ _No big deal_? You are a beast, I am sure of it now,” the boy sighed walking more casually next to her. As if he gave up on comprehending her nonchalantness.

“...”

“Come to dinner tonight at my place,” it wasn’t a question. Sakura sighed heavily. Was Shikaku plotting another ambush for her?

“I have no say in this, do I?”

“Nop.”

“Fine,” she puffed. But it was nice to be included. To be wanted by someone. Shikamaru’s mother’s food was also tempting. Sakura wondered if Shika knew how she felt and intentionally invited her.

“Mmm, where are you going, Saku?”

“Into a bar?” she pointed at the establishment they stopped by.

“Are you even allowed to?”

“Genins are considered as adults,” she shrugged.

“You are thirteen.”

“Mentally I’m about 40.”

“Troublesome,” Shikamaru whined.

“Oh, please. You are probably about 70 years old mentally with how much you nap and play shogi,” she poked his side. The boy looked offended but thought over her statement.

“You know, you might be right. I should probably go rest before Hokage-sama gave me another mission. I think she promoted me only to have someone to dump boring missions on.”

“You’re a chunin. That’s what chunins do. Boring missions.”

“You are too, but I don’t see you going on any missions.”

“I wish. Mandatory week of rest. Since you know, being kidnapped might have traumatized us,” she rolled her eyes. Shikamaru blinked mildly distressed by her casualness.

“Are you okay, really?” he finally asked with concern. Sakura hatted that. What, did she look so weak to Shika too? She will have to train twice as much to prove them wrong!

“Yup, see ya,” Sakura gave him a fake eye smile before going inside the bar. She could still hear him yell after her.

“Don’t get drunk or something! I swear if you will start drinking with my dad, we are no longer friends!” Sakura giggled. Damn, she wanted some sake now.

━━━━━━━━━━

“So, how did it go?”

“I didn’t get drunk,” Saku shrugged as they whispered with Shikamaru.

“Aren’t you too young to drink, Saku-kun?” he asked his son’s friend with a smirk. The rumor mill that was Shiranui Genma already blabbered how he, a respectable jonin, coursed, or as he put it ‘dared’, Saku to drink some sake if the boy wanted to spar with him.

“Genins are considered as adults,” the boy shrugged peering at him with innocent emerald eyes. Shikamaru next to him rolled his eyes. Looks like his son already had this conversation with his pink-haired friend.

“Oh? You don’t say? In that case,” Shikaku poured some of his own drink in Saku’s cup. He watched without blinking. The man had learned from his previous mistakes. His mission was to see under that mask.

“Oh, thank you,” the boy said. Shikaku waited. Then… Saku reached with his hand for the cup and… it raised back again without grasping the cup... What? The liquid bubble was in the boy’s hand - the sake. He put the bubble by his mask and it just went through the fabric.

“I warned you,” Shikamaru hissed at Saku with annoyance.

“Interesting technique,” Shikaku commented a bit annoyed as well but for different reasons.

“It is similar to medical ninjutsu. Saves me the hassle and I can also practice my jutsu this way,” boys logic was… iron clad. You couldn’t really complain about him practicing. Saku Haruno was already known for being close to Guy level of fanatic training.

“Mmm, clever,” he mused taking a sip himself. Now, he was about ready to push the boy into the main event of the evening. Honestly, Shikaku was curious to test out just how clever this pink-haired boy was.

From what he read in mission reports and what Genma and Hayate told him from events in Root HQ, the boy was really impressive. To manage send a message to your teammates, while incapacitated and bleeding out was a mark of true Konoha shinobi. Not leaving teammates behind. Showing incredible fighting skills. Always trying to better himself. Very impressive. 

“How about a game of shogi, Saku-kun?”

“Hmm, was this a tactic to win?” Saku nodded towards the cup. Oh, yes it was. Shikaku played dirty on occasions. He just wondered how would the boy act while under influence.

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Nara clan head smirked.

“You see,” Saku reached his hand towards the bottle. Another bubble of sake floated up to his hand. ”Sake doesn’t really do anything for me as I force my liver to filter it out with medical ninjutsu. I just like the taste of it,” he explained munching on the said bubble that reached his mouth without removing the mask. Shikaku blinked.

What now?

“It doesn’t affect you at all????”

“Just a bit. But I can block it completely if I really concentrate,” the boy shrugged as if it was the most natural thing to know how to do. Shikaku was deeply shocked. His mind raced a thousand miles an hour. So many possibilities! So many missions he could use the boy’s skill in! His eyes glimmered.

“Shikamaru, get the board here,” he asked his half-asleep son. They started a game of shogi, that shortly turned into two. Then three. On the fourth game, Shikaku was convinced, that Saku indeed had cleverness worth of a Nara.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fan-made avatar of Saku! Pretty spot on if you ask me ^^   
> 


	23. Hospital Roof Showdown

And so the training continued. Sasuke was impossible. More than usual. Civilians looked blissfully unaware of what was happening behind the scenes. And judging by the lack of foreign ninja attacks, so were the other villages. Meanwhile, jonin and chunin of Konoha were walking on pins and needles. Whispering with emotions high.

Sakura kinda liked this atmosphere. For the first time, she probably understood what Orochimaru meant by the boring feeling when the world stood still. Chaos made her feel alive.

“Seeeensei, why do we have to train so much?” Naruto whined as they ran the fiftieth lap around the training ground.

“I am your sensei and your suffering is very important to me,” Sakura winced recognizing her own words spoken back at her. Rude.

“Are we getting a mission today finally?” she asked with hope.

“Mhm. After you are done, go to Hokage-sama, she is waiting for you.”

“Wait, are you not going with us?” she eyed Kakashi suspiciously.

“Ah yes, I am not. What a pleasure to have a chunin on the team to take over,” she could feel his smirk. Otherwise, she wasn’t too surprised. Many jonin were staying in the village these days. Probably a precaution against Root or whoever dares to use this opportunity to mess with Konoha.

━━━━━━━━━━

Kakashi wasn’t happy as he pretended to be in front of his team. Sasuke worried him. Naruto being a target for Akatsuki worried him. And Saku always concerned him. He felt like the pink-haired boy was slipping away from his grasp. More distant. More antisocial. 

He could only hope, that a mission would help his team bond and air the conflict that was clearly brewing between them. 

That evening, he reluctantly went to a bar to clear his mind. Kakashi ordered a strong drink and looked around. Many familiar faces had the same idea as him. One face made his jaw tense.

“How you’ve been, Hayate?” he approached the man in the far corner of the bar.

“Oh. Hello, Kakashi. Same as always. Strange to see you here. Didn’t your team leave on a mission?”

“Oh, how would you know that?”

“Pinky mentioned before leaving. We planned a spar today,” Kakashi was conflicted. The idea of his student training with someone else was… unpleasant. Internally he also winced at how his comrade dared to call Saku by _his_ nickname.

“Mmm… is that so?”

“Listen, Kakashi, the boy nagged me himself. I have no intention of stealing your student,” Gekko exhaled taking a sip from his own cup.

“Of course you don’t,” Kakashi wasn’t buying it. Many jonin praised Saku and even showed their interest in teaching the boy a thing or two. Everyone wanted to have a go with a civilian prodigy. Yes, Saku was officially braced with the unfortunate title.

“Honestly, you should be more concerned about Genma,” Hayate hurried to get his attention to someone else. 

“What about him?”

“You didn’t hear?”

“Hear what?”

“Genma is sparing with the boy too. Ninjutsu.”

“Oh,” that was all Kakashi managed to muster in response.

“And he also dared Saku-kun to drink sake in return!” Kakashi blinked his sole visible eye.

“He… what?” 

“Yup. So go bark on his tree,” Hayate exhaled easier. “Oh, by the way, Kakashi, I was meaning to ask you about Saku.”

“Hm?”

“I noticed the boy is very tolerant to pain. He didn’t even react when I got those kunai out of him. And even when we spar and he gets nicked - nothing. Is that normal for him?”

“Hmm, he doesn’t usually get injured on my watch,” Kakashi commented, but his thoughts circled back to that time in the bathhouse with the boy. The little scars and bruises. Kakashi could say that Saku was simply a good shinobi, that doesn’t show emotions. Yet, for his liking, the kid was too young for that kind of behavior.

“Mmm. I just hope that Danzo didn’t traumatize the kid or something,” Hayate shrugged. That was one of Kakashi’s worries as well. After the Root incident, Saku kept even more to himself. There was something up and he couldn’t tell what. It annoying copy-nin.

━━━━━━━━━━

The Fuckin’ Land of the Fuckin’ Tea. Sakura expected better. She expected to be treated as a proper chunin. But noooooo. Hokage-sama gave team seven the most boring mission possible - to guard some runner.

Of course, knowing team seven’s luck, it was no ordinary bodyguard mission. They just had to face off some psycho with a blade of fuckin’ thunder! And of course, Sasuke just had to prove something to this strange.

She watched as his Chidori failed. Once. Twice. And the boy was down. Sakura was tempted to let him fall down the cliff, but it would reflect poorly on her record, so against her better judgment, Sakura jumped right behind him. 

Midair, she caught the boys shirt and slowing their descent by grabbing with chakra on the cliffside, landed pretty much unscathed. Sakura could hear Naruto yelling up top. Blond was surprisingly reliable to finish off psychos.

“Naruto! Finish the mission, hurry!” she yelled as the boy was about to go down to get them. Blond shortly left with their target. 

“Mission completed,” she sighed as their target won. Sasuke refused to lean on her hand. He was impossible. The boy couldn’t even stand straight from the strain and injuries he sustained. To put the cherry on top, Sasuke was brought back on the ship on stretchers. She smirked under her mask.

“Morino-san, it is nice that you came to see your brother,” she casually just dropped that as they both were standing on deck by the railing. Sasuke and Naruto were sitting somewhere behind them. Ibiki gave a _glance_.

“Where did you get that idea from, brat?”

“Well, he did call you ‘big brother’ and there were other things…” teasing adult jonin was her new hobby. 

“He was mistaken. So are you.”

“Mhm. Sure. Don’t worry, my lips are sealed,” she gave him a wink and Kakashi’s trademark eye crinkle. She found that such a gesture annoyed most if not all jonin she met. Ibiki was no exception, as his eye momentarily twitched.

“Haruno, would you like to work in T&I?”

“Pass. People say I am a pretty good healer, so I might just become a medical-nin,” she spoke casually not actually being serious about it. Ibiki snorted at that comment.

“Yeah, as if. With your skills, no one in their right mind will let you burry your shinobi carrier like that.”

“Hmmm, what if I was a girl? Would you still be of the same opinion?” yet again she was convinced just how unfairly kunoichi were treated.

“Yes. For your information, Anko Mitarashi is a female jonin working in T&I. I do not have a bias against gender,” he explained slightly surprising her. Sakura really didn’t expect to get an answer. And yes, he was right. Anko was indeed an exception. She found that her respect for Ibiki grew at that moment.

━━━━━━━━━━

They were back in Konoha in a couple of days. Sasuke was sent straight to the hospital, while she and Naruto reported back to Hokage. Mission complete. Pay collected. Sakura was pleased.

The next day, however, Naruto managed to drag her to the hospital to visit Sasuke. This time around, she didn’t bring apples for that ungrateful loser.

“Sasuke! Did old lady patch you up already?...” the blond blabbered as she stood to the side leaning against the wall. Sasuke was glaring at her.

“You. Haruno. I want you to fight me. Now,” the boy growled in her direction sending chills over the whole room. Naruto shut his mouth glancing between them. Tension could be sliced with a knife.

“Pass. Hokage-sama will not be pleased to have to patch you up again,” yes, she was enjoying this. 

“Shut up and fight!” Uchiha yelled out jumping from his bed.

“Teme, what is wrong with you? Saku saved you! Why are you so hard on him?”

“Do you really think you saved me?” Sasuke continued to speak to her with fierce eye contact.

“Nop. You are beyond what I could do,” she shrugged. Now Naruto had to butt in again getting agitated about Sasuke’s behavior and for being ignored. Damn Naruto. Why did he always have to have the spotlight? Sakura glared at the blond.

In silence, the three of them walked up to the roof. She still refused to fight Sasuke. Naruto gladly took her place. Yet something nagged her, that Sasuke wasn’t going to take her no for an answer.

She was right, of course. As soon as the fighting started, Sasuke leaped towards her with clear intent to kill. She dodged, not really fighting back. That only provoked the boy more.

Fire blazing, clones exploding, Sakura wondered how no shinobi had interfered so far. They were battling in the middle of the village on a hospital roof of all places!

With a sigh, she leaned back to miss a kunai aimed at her neck. So annoying. Naruto attacked Sasuke, Sasuke attacked her and she just weaved between their attacks. 

The chirping of birds cracked through the air from her left, from the right a gust of wind. Well fuck. If she doesn’t do anything, Sakura will be sandwiched in between a Chidori and Rasengan sandwich. Channeling chakra to her hands, she prepared to strike both boys that quickly ascended towards her. Naruto was aiming at her belly and Sasuke targeted her head.

Late, as usual, Kakashi appeared just between the three of them. One hand on Naruto’s wrist, other on Sasukes, he swiveled the boys around and launched them into water containers. Sakura got a kick to her stomach sending her off the roof on another building, where her chakra enhanced punch wrecked a wall completely.

She rose from the pile of rubble and shook like a dog, to get rid of some dust. A bit annoyed she jumped back to stand next to her ‘sensei’.

“What do you three think you’re doing up here?” Kakashi asked leveling each of them with a heavy stare. “That was a little intense for just a sparring match, wasn’t it? What’s wrong with you three?” was he disappointed? Or concerned? Sakura sighed.

“For the record, I did not participate in whatever that was. I was about to knock them out before they killed each other,” she explained crossing her arms. Kakashi looked at her for a moment, probably sizing up if it was a lie or not. Then he turned to the Uchiha.

“Your Chidori was not the size you aim at a comrade from the Leaf Village. When will you grow up, Sasuke?” the boy didn’t respond as he was taking in the damage all three of them had caused. Then Sasuke did what he does best and ran away. Naruto followed soon after.

“Well, so much for teamwork,” Kakashi muttered under his breath. His eyes fell again on her.

“What?”

“I expected more from you, Saku-kun.”

“What? ... Well _somebody_ had to do _something_. As you weren’t here, sensei,” well fuck. She couldn’t hold back her remark. Feeling still very much agitated, Sakura followed her teammate’s example and disappeared from the scene.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura was trying to calm down in her favorite park when a chunin approached her.

“Lady Hokage is summoning you,” he announced. Sakura instantly perked up and followed the boy to the Hokage tower. Inside the office, she found Shino and Hinata already standing in front of Tsunade.

“Haruno, I have a mission for you. As a chunin, you will lead a team of Hinata Hyuga and Shino Aburame,” she handed her a scroll with detailed instructions. “We got intel about a merchant who supposedly sheltered Danzo. Your goal is to capture him and bring back to Konoha for questioning.”

“Understood, Hokage-sama,” she bowed slightly. Sounds easy enough.

“Leave first thing tomorrow morning, now dismissed.”

“Yes, Hokage-sama,” they all bowed and turned to leave.

“Oh, and Haruno, I heard you made damage near the hospital. We will discuss _that_ when you return,” Tsunade’s stare was pensive as she looked her dead in the eyes. Sakura expected as much. Her chakra enhanced moved would raise Tsunade’s suspicion sooner or later.

“Yes, Hokage-sama.”

“Are you in trouble, Sa-saku-kun?” Hinata asked carefully, face red as three of them walked outside.

“No. Probably will just have to pay for the damage. It was an accident,” she shrugged. Sakura felt Shino’s stare from behind his dark shades.

━━━━━━━━━━

Early the next morning the three of them were headed towards the gates.

“Saku, isn’t that your teammate?” Shino pointed towards Naruto sleeping on a bench. She exhaled.

“Yeah. Go ahead. I will check on him,” her team nodded and walked away as she approached Naruto. Looking down at him Sakura got flashbacks from her past. This is exactly how Sasuke left her then.

“Wake up,” Sakura poked at Narutos face. The boy flinched and sat up straight eyes confused, but clear.

“SAKU? What?” he looked around in panic. “Where is teme??”

“Not here, obviously,” Naruto leaped to his feet looking around frantically.

“SAKU! Sasuke left the village! I… I tried to stop him, but then… it all went black…” Sakura exhaled rubbing her temples.

“Yeah, he probably used a genjutsu on you or something.” 

“SAKU! Didn’t you hear me???! He left!!! We have to go after him!”

“Naruto! Stop yelling at me,” she cut him off with a stern look.

“But...but…”

“If Uchiha left, he did so on his own free will. Why should we go after him?”

“But he is our teammate!”

“Yeah and he still left us behind,” she pointed out getting frustrated.

“I will find him and I will bring him back!”

“No, Naruto, I don’t think you can help him anymore…”

“But.. he is our teammate,” Naruto looked like he was about to cry.

“Listen Naruto, do you really think you can beat him up and bring him back?”

“Well... He is strong... And… I don’t know…” maybe she pushed too hard. The blond boy looked broken and lacked the usual confidence that surrounded him like some mystical aura.

“If you don’t think you can do it, then just give up on your dreams and die, what else can you do?”

“NO! I will do it! Believe it!”

“Alright. Then you should probably go and tell Hokage what happened,” she casually suggested already turning away to leave on her own mission. 

“Saku! Aren’t you coming with me??”

“Sorry, Naruto, I have better things to do than pursue Uchiha when he clearly doesn’t want us,” she said and walked away without an ounce of regret. Naruto will go on this recovery mission that is doomed from the start. She had no interest to be a part of it. No. Never again will she chase after the Uchiha.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I shamelessly used _that_ line. I regret nothing!  
> 


	24. Underrated Team

Sakura leaped in the trees taking point in front of their formation. Hinatas byakugan was activated as Shino’s bugs already scouted ahead.

“Sa-saku-kun, I see four shinobi ahead. They look injured. And I think they are from Konoha,” Hinata announced.

“Shino-san, scout with your bugs ahead. If they are Konoha and there are no enemies around, make your bugs visible to announce our arrival. We don’t want shinobi on edge to attack us,” the boy nodded.

“Wha-what about our mission?” Hinata asked carefully.

“We cannot turn our backs to comrades who are in trouble,” Sakura only answered curtly. 

Soon they reached the group. It was indeed Konoha nin. Sakura right away recognized Shizune who was healing Raido (?). There was also another man and Genma bleeding out by the tree. Instinctively, Sakura landed by Genma’s side and started to heal his severe injuries.

“Kid, what the hell are you doing??” Shizune yelled at her.

“He will bleed out or choke on it. There is a puncture from a broken rib in his lung. Another broken bone close to his heart,” she answered coldly like a professional effectively shutting up Shizune.

“What are you three doing out here?” the third man asked.

“Mission. We stopped in case the enemy was still there and you needed help,” Shino answered. Shizune was finished with her patient and crouched to check on Genma.

“Kid… you are a medic?” the woman looked surprised as she inspected her handy work.

“Nop. Just hate going to hospitals,” Sakura shrugged standing up. “So, should we be concerned about finding the same enemies ahead?”

“Looks like they were headed north,” Raido sat up rubbing his side.

“Ugh, I owe you one, pinky,” Genma pushed off the ground on shaky legs, but his face was no longer of deadly pale shade.

“You owe me nothing, Genma-san. We would never leave injured teammates behind,” she answered going back to her team. Four pairs of adult eyes watched her carefully. “Alright, if they are headed north, we probably will not cross paths with them. But we will keep them in mind. Let’s go. We cannot waste any more time,” she turned to Shino and Hinata who both nodded and followed her.

“So, that’s Kakashi’s brat?” Shizune whispered.

“Mmmm, pinky took his teachings to heart looks like it. We need more shinobi like that,” Genma stretched feeling like he hadn’t just suffered major life-threatening injuries. Only a lack of chakra was proof that he was in an intense fight at all.

━━━━━━━━━━

“We’ll be close to the village soon, let’s take a break before we go in,” she ordered. Being a team leader came naturally to Sakura. She was used to commanding in the hospital and in the field. There was no hesitation from her teammates as both of them nodded. So refreshing to be regarded with respect.

They stopped in the cover of the forest shadows. The small village could be seen from there.

“Alright, Shino-san, anything out of the ordinary?”

“Nothing yet,” the boy answered as he looked intently at a bug perched on his finger. Silent communication between the two was just amazing.

“Hinata-san?”

“N-n-nothing out of ordinary,” the girl responded deactivating her eyes.

“Alright. Each of us can immobilize the target, I am confident in both of your abilities,” she tried to reassure the girl. Shino didn’t look like he lacked confidence. Yet, Sakura made a point to show her trust in her new teammates.

“When we do get the target, I want you Hinata-san to guard him as you are close combat. Shino-san, you will take long-range on this one. You are the only one of us who can do long-range attacks here,” she talked laying out the plan. Aburame was looking at her in an… unusual way. She couldn’t read him as his face was hidden behind his collar and his sunglasses.

“H-how are we going t-to get the target?” Hinata asked.

“Shino-san, I want you to stay behind keeping a close eye on what is going around in case shinobi appear and we have to extract quickly. Can your bugs send signals to non Aburame? Maybe something like a chakra tap code?” she suggested looking at him. This was the first time they worked together after all.

“Yes. But my bug will have to stay on your skin,” he said with hesitation. She blinked unsure of where that doubt came from.

“Yeah, that’s what I imagined. Is there a problem with your bugs staying on someone’s skin?” Sakura asked. Maybe he couldn’t control if the bugs eat chakra or not? 

“No. No problem. Usually, people are not willing to have bugs on them.”

“Well, that’s stupid. Using bugs for communication is a perfect and inconspicuous way to do it,” she shrugged. Then they proceeded to test out a couple of chakra tap codes with Shino’s bugs. It was crazy, how smooth it worked! No sensor would notice a bug on them.

“Alright, me and Hinata-san will go in as we look pretty harmless. Hinata-san, can you use a henge to disguise your eyes? Oh, and hide your headband too,” the girl nodded focusing on putting up the illusion. She chose bright blue eyes reminiscent of Naruto’s orbs. Sakura herself took a form to change her face and hair into a dark shade similar to Hinata’s instead of her pastel pink.

“Good. Shino-san, we count on you to have our backs, keep us safe, key?” she looked back at the boy before leaving with Hyuga. Aburama gave her a nod and disappeared into the shadows. A man of few words, she really liked that about Shino.

Hinata and Sakura walked across the small village without a hurry. They would stop by different merchant stalls and shop windows.

“Two o’clock,” Hinata whispered to her as they looked over a vegetable stall.

“Hmm, I noticed him,” she whispered back and stretched demonstratively. “Hey, Kyoko, let’s go walk around more, I don’t see anything I like yet,” she talked and they casually started to follow the target. Looking for an opportunity. 

Thirty minutes into their observation from a distance, such opportunity turned up. Target wandered off into a barn where presumably he kept his horses.

“Take him down, Hinata-san,” Sakura whispered as they split up. With quick hand signs, she created a fog that filled the whole shabby structure giving her teammate a perfect cloak of disguise. THUD.

“I...I did it!” Hinata smiled brightly as Sakura appeared by her side.

“I had no doubt you would. Now let’s go. Two minutes ago I felt Shino-san’s bug message about possible intruders,” Hinata nodded while Sakura slung the unconscious body over her shoulder after tying him up.

Dropping their henges, two of them fled back to the forest. They found Shino with a cloaked and masked man by his feet.

“Shino-san, good job! Are there any more?”

“Doesn’t look like it. He looks like one of Root. What do we do now, captain?”

“I assume you completely took his chakra away? Can you keep your bugs on him? We wouldn’t want him waking up and attacking us,” Shino nodded at her question. He was so reliable.

“Okay, Hinata-san, please take over looking for our backs. Shino-san, can you take the masked one?” both nodded. Good. So easy. So painless. No unnecessary babbling or yelling. She loved working with them both.

Without stopping, their team ran back to Konoha. As the gate came into view, they all relaxed a bit more. Their target and unexpected Root agent were out cold the whole time. Three of them headed straight to T&I building. As they stepped inside, a man behind the reception table looked up.

“Good day, sir. Two of our friends here had a reservation in your pristine establishment. It was one room initially but looks like we’ll need another one,” Sakura for some reason, unknown to her, joked around. She was in a good mood. The man behind the desk laughed loudly.

“Yeah, sure, kid,” like on cue two other T&I force members appeared and took the men from their hands. “Come again,” the man still chuckled as their team bowed and left.

“Okay, good job, Shino, Hinata,” She nodded at both of them as they slowly walked back to Hokage tower to report back.

“Mmm,” Shino nodded seeming oddly shy, while Hinata smiled brightly.

“Sa-saku-kun, would you like to grab food with us after we report back? Thi-this is what we usually do after our missions,” the girl looked adorable with the blush coloring her entire face.

“Eeee… sure?” Sakura brushed a hand on the back of her head awkwardly. People offering her food always warmed her heart. Well, actually it was the act of including her that did the trick.

━━━━━━━━━━

As Sakura finished their report, Tsunade was still staring at her.

“So, tell me again how the three of you managed to take down a Root agent _without_ killing him?” yet again she was underrated. No, her whole team was underrated. And why? Because they kept to themselves? Because they didn’t yell? Or maybe because they didn’t cause any scenes? 

“Well, actually that one was all Shino-san,” she said glancing at the boy in question.

“Hmm… alright, Hyuga, Aburame, good job, dismissed,” Sakura wanted to wince. Here it comes. More questions, more lying. She was right, as Tsunade confirmed with her next question when her teammates left.

“Haruno, where should we start? Care to explain what happened at the hospital?”

“Yes, Hokage-sama. Sasuke Uchiha challenged me to a fight. I refused. Naruto Uzumaki suggested to fight him instead. They went to the roof and engaged. I was watching to make sure they wouldn’t kill each other. Uchiha attacked me. I only evaded, without fighting back. Then Kakashi-sensei appeared,”

“Why didn’t you interfere sooner?”

“...this was usual behavior for Uchiha or Naruto?” she honestly didn’t know what to say. The boys constantly fighting was the everyday life of team seven. It didn’t even make her think that fighting between teammates was considered unusual.

Tsunade exhaled deeply closing her eyes. Sakura stood her back straight. She hoped to be dismissed soon.

“Sasuke Uchiha left the village,” Tsunade finally announced opening her eyes to check out Sakura’s reaction.

“Yes, I am aware. Naruto told me before coming to you, Hokage-sama,” calm and emotionless. Sakura couldn’t care less about the loser who left her behind on every occasion he could. Tsunade’s eyebrow rose higher in question.

“And why only Naruto came to tell me about it?” now Sakura was puzzled. She blinked unsure if she heard the question right.

“I already had a mission you assigned to me, Hokage-sama? Naruto told me just as we were leaving the village... A shinobi cannot abandon their mission,” she tried to reason. Did she do something wrong? Tsunade was hard to read.

“Mmmm. Talking about your mission, why did you stop on your way to check on Shizune’s team?” the woman’s eyes were sharp like an eagle.

“Hinata-san recognized them as injured Konoha shinobi. Shino-san confirmed. If there were enemies attacking Konoha-nin, we had to check and collect intel in case we would face the same attackers,” Sakura explained calmly.

“And healing? Your records don’t say that you are a medical-nin?” ahh. There it was. What could Sakura say to appease this woman? “I checked Shiranui when he returned. Your work is impressive,” ups. Maybe she shouldn’t have done it after all? No, Sakura decided not to hold back anymore, so she will have to learn how to deal with consequences.

“I was taught never to leave a comrade behind. Healing a comrade allowed us to continue with our mission without concern about leaving them behind. Healed they could fight back if the enemy appeared again,” Sakura’s voice was strong and unwavering. She could almost hear an echo of Lord Third’s voice saying ‘will of fire’ in the background. Yeah, as if. More like, ‘I don’t want to get thrown in T&I by the Hokage’.

“Who taught you that?”

“Library? There are many books and scrolls on medical ninjutsu. Many of them are written by you, Hokage-sama,” she almost said ‘shisho’ there. Almost.

“Untrained shinobi should refrain from healing others,” Sakura frowned under her mask. “But. Your technique is impeccable and I have to commend your teamwork. Shinobi with your level of chakra control are rare. Good job, Haruno, now get out of my office until I changed my mind,” the woman even gave her a light smile. Sakura was confused but didn’t question her Hokage.

What was that all about? Did.. did she really not get in trouble? Was this how Naruto always avoided reprimands? Just by being extremely skilled? Wow.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Yo,” Sakura approached Shikamaru, who was laid on the grass under their favorite tree. The boy’s eyes were red.

“Saku. You’re back from your mission?” he whispered, voice slightly hoarse.

“Yup, here,” she placed a bag with take out between them. “Fried mackerel.”

Shikamaru shivered with his whole body. Sakura exhaled and patted his shoulder.

“It’s okay, Shika. They are all alive. Naruto, Choji, Neji, and Kiba with Akamaru will all heal.”

“Yeah, but I was too weak to do anything!”

“You faced the same team that had no trouble battling and beating at least two jonins. You are lucky to be alive. Now eat, or you will stay weak,” she pushed the food towards him and crossed her arms.

“Tha-thanks, Saku,” Shikamaru yet again violently shivered. The boy looked really broken, tears started to swell up in his eyes again. Sakura cursed under her breath and went for it. She hugged him. Her heart couldn’t take any more of seeing him this way. Shikamaru was her friend and it hurt to see him cry.

Nara hugged her back, hands clutching the back of her vest. He sobbed to her shoulder. She said nothing. Mackerel was getting cold.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In one fiction I am reading, T&I was referred to as "Hotel Ibiki". I cannot get that out of my head, it is genius! 😂 so I shamelessly and loosely used the same concept. No regrets! 🤠


	25. Decisions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another dive into the past! Some more past-ception 😊

In the dead of night, Naruto entered Orochimaru’s lab with Kakashi trailing not far behind. They walked in silence. Naruto wasn’t wearing his usual Hokage cloak or hat. He was here for personal business.

“Dismissed,” he ordered two guards stationed by the entrance to the main lab. Two masked men glanced at each other and disappeared.

“Mmm, I am getting sssso many visitors these dayssss,” Orochimaru smirked at them.

“Where is she?” Kakashi skipped pleasantries. 

“Oh? I don’t remember setting visssiting hours,” snake was enjoying this.

“Orochimaru, what are your intentions with Sakura?” Naruto spoke taking a seat on the couch very much like the last time. The only difference being his calm and detached demeanor.

“Weeeelll, I have not decided yet. There are ssssso many options,” the pale man mused rubbing his chin as if deep in thought.

“What options?” Kakashi could not hold back his frustration as successfully as Naruto did.

“Well, there is much to learn from her. There are many ways I can use her,” the grimace on his face as the snake spoke was ratchet and vile. But none of his guests could possibly know, that it was an act. Orochimaru really had difficulty making up his mind. His hand simply wouldn’t rise to do anything… too unnatural.

Why? Why was he struggling when there was a willing corpse for him to play with? As he contemplated his inner struggle, another memory came to mind. 

It was a month since the _procedure_ he’d done on Sakura. A smile came to his features as he recalled her little expressions. How vulnerable she was under him. How she reacted to his touch.

“Ssssakura-chan, it looks like your body is rejecting Ssssasuke’s donation,” he smirked after finishing his diagnostic technique.

“What now?”

“Hmmm, I will take your egg and tesssst if it is fertile,” the girl only nodded as if it was the most natural suggestion. Orochimaru was amused by how she accepted everything he did to her. Like she had no will of her own. 

“Come. Sssstand up here,” he motioned her to come next to him. She did like a trained puppy. Orochimaru looked at her expectantly with his arms crossed. Waiting. She waited too. “Go on, undresssss,” he finally gave the command. 

Sakura followed without a hitch in her movements. Elegantly she folded her clothing just like the last time and stood bare in front of him. No shame. No fear. Maybe he really lost all of his intimidation skills, snake wondered looking her over.

His glowing hands reached to her abdomen.

“You seem healthy just like the last time,” he spoke as his hands continued to feel her up. Pale left hand of his rose to her breast and squeezed. “You are weeeeell developed so that should not be the isssssue,” Orochimaru spoke as if validating his improper actions. Yet Sakura did not question him.

“Hmm, are you feeling ssssstressed staying here?” he asked curiously staring right into her eyes. Searching for truth. Searching for a lie in her response.

“No.”

“Well, let’ssss keep you relaxed at all times, alright?” he smiled with mirth as his right hand reached lower. She was dry. He tsk’ed his tongue. “I said, relaxed, Ssssakura-chan,” he playfully scolded as his fingers started to tease her entrance.

“Will you take care of it yoursssself, or will I have to help you eacccch time?” Orochimaru asked with curiosity. His fingers dampened. That was quick, he thought very much satisfied in his skills. Still got it.

“Please.”

“Mmm, what was that?” the girl’s voice was too quiet for him to make anything of it.

“Please, help me, Orochimaru-san,” she muttered as her cheeks colored in a shade of pink that matched her hair. His eyebrow rose slightly. He didn’t expect that, but he might as well use this opportunity.

“In that case, you will have to do something for me,” the girl nodded before he could even finish. Ah, youth. So eager. He was about to state his request when Sakura suddenly dropped on her knees in front of him. Orochimaru’s eyes grew wide as his brain struggled to comprehend what the girl was doing. She actually reached out for his crotch and brushed her fingers over his ever excited member outline.

 _That_ was not what he had in mind! How did the girl even come up with such an idea was beyond him. Orochimaru just stared bewildered feeling as control was slipping from his fingers. Wait. He had to stop her. He could not… ooooh, but it actually sent tingles down his spine to feel her hands reach under his robes. 

Snake closed his eyes trying to keep his composure. Never in a thousand years, he would expect the girl to be so bold and… experienced! It struck the sannin. Her moves, the way she stroked him - she had practice. Orochimaru only had to wonder with whom.

A sharp intake of air, oh Kami, that was him who breathed unsteadily now. As he felt her breath fan over his exposed shin, Orochimaru knew there was only a split second where he could still push her away. It was too late to back away now, he thought as her gentle lips made contact.

His hand gripped the edge of the table. His mind went pleasantly blank. It was over as quick as it began. When exactly was the last time he allowed a woman to do such acts? Probably no less than a decade ago.

Orochimaru opened his eyes to see Sakura standing before him once more. She licked her lips casually. There was not a trace of what just happened left. Did she.. Did she just.. Swallow? That she did. 

With an exhale, he closed his eyes again. Maybe this was a genjutsu? No. She really just did that.

“Alright. I will not asssk why you did thissss,” he sighed looking at Sakura again. The girl looked emotionless. “But. I will not deny your urges,” he added with a smirk. Hell, if the girl was so eager, he might as well use her for his own release of pleasure. He could not deny that it felt refreshing. Invigorating.

“Chem, now, the egg, ssshall we?” he proceeded to extract an egg from her ovaries. At that moment, Orochimaru didn’t yet know, that this was the answer to his own problem. This will eventually result in a conception of a certain _someone_. Mitsuki.

Weeks passed, and he concluded that Sakura was fertile. Yes. Her egg took well to his own sample. The embryo was growing steadily in his lab. Meantime, he continued his ministrations to the girl. To keep her ‘relaxed’, of course. And she continued to do _something_ for him.

There was a strange relationship between them. Completely clinical. Scientific. And yet intimate. He didn’t have feelings for the girl, god no. But he did develop a soft spot for the pink-haired kunoichi. 

In another month, he could not stall any longer. They did the ‘procedure’ once more and it was a success. Sakura was now baring an Uchiha child. 

“Orochimaru?” Naruto’s voice brought him back from his thoughts. “Why are you grinning like that?” the blond looked at him with suspicion.

“Oh, just reminiscing,” he replied with a light chuckle. Sannin wondered how her teammates would react if they knew the extent of his relationship with Sakura.

“So, what options are you considering?” Kakashi pushed on.

“Well, there issss always Edo Tensei to consider,” he casually suggested. Noticing how none of his guests rushed to protest he curved an amused eyebrow. “Oooh? Is that what you would like as well?”

“I…” Naruto was looking away.

“...” Kakashi was silent too.

“I sssssee. You have questions to our Ssssakura-chan that you want to be answered?” it was too easy to read those two. Orochimaru wished to be challenged, he sighed. “You know, what the ritual needssss, Naruto-kun?”

“Can... can you do it with an animal or something? I… just want to see her… to ask her…” the boy struggled. Orochimaru had to think over his request. Technically, it should be possible as the ritual would not need for the target to fight. SO an animal could potentially be used to summon a weaker form of the desired person.

“Hmm, potentially,” he answered slowly while his mind rushed over the seals he will have to reinvent for this. “ I will need time to tesssst and reconstruct the ritual,” he was already turning away to grab a piece of paper from his desk. Hand quickly scribbling away notes and ideas.

Kakashi and Naruto left without saying another word. Or he didn’t hear them speak as he no longer was interested in the two of them.

A month. No, more. It will take more. A year, perhaps? A wicked smile stretched his features. In a few hours, he retreated to the backroom, where Sakura’s body was laid on his table. Perfectly preserved. Pale and cold.

“Soon,” Orochimaru whispered brushing a finger over her cheek.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, to my defense! ... I have no defense 😂  
> There will always be smut when it comes to my boy Orochimaru 🐍


	26. Jiraiya the Legendary Pervert

“Sa-saku-kun! You came!” Hinata exclaimed a bit louder than usual.

“Yo,” Sakura raised a hand and sat next to Shino. The food was already set on the table.

“Emm… I heard Naruto-kun was hurt... And Sasuke-kun…” Hinata looked away.

“They will be fine. Hokage-sama is an excellent healer,” Sakura didn’t show any concern.

“But! Sasuke-kun…”

“He left on his own will,” Sakura cut her off. There was no reason for people to waste their energy on an ungrateful Uchiha. Hinata nodded reluctantly.

“So, you will not go after him, Saku-san?” Shino asked.

“I will do what Hokage-sama orders me to do. I am a shinobi before all else,” she shrugged casually.

“But.. he is your teammate?” Hinata. Poor dear Hinata. With a heart too big for her own good.

“Yes, and I am _his_ teammate, but he still decided to leave us behind,” Sakura felt like a broken record. How could no one understand that? Why no one blamed Sasuke? Why was she the bad guy?

“I agree with Saku-san. Uchiha chose to turn his back on Konoha,” thank Kami for Shino being the level headed one. She glanced at him with a small smile behind her mask.

“Shino, no need for formalities. We are of the same age, comrades, and teammates. Just Saku is fine,” she suggested. The boy looked like he was thinking over her words before he finally nodded.

“Yes! We are all friends too, right?” Hinata smiled. She sure was unusually talkative. 

“Sure?” Sakura offered, being a bit unfamiliar with the term herself. What are friends? Was it as simple as having a bond with one other? She considered Shikamaru as her friend…

The dinner was nice. Calm and relaxing. Hinata continued to talk as if they always were this close. Even Shino opened up and shared about some new bugs he was researching. Now, _this_ is how a real team looks like. 

“Saku, I hope we have another mission with you,” Shino said as they were parting ways.

“Me too. Pleasure working with you both. Your skills are very impressive,” Sakura waved leaving Hinata red like a tomato and Shino mumbling something inaudible.

…

“Hinata, do you think, if we asked, we could replace Kiba with Saku?”

“Shino!!”

━━━━━━━━━━

A couple of days later, Sakura walked around the village eager for another mission. She was pumped, for the lack of a better word. The only thing she could do now was to train. Unfortunately, neither Genma nor Hayate was available. She didn’t even consider Kakashi at this point.

Training with clones it is, she decided, making her way to one of the training grounds. Walking across a bridge she noticed a familiar head of red hair.

“Yo,” she greeted Gaara stopping by his side on the bridge by the railing.

“Haruno-san,” the boy nodded curtly. He looked calm. No bloodlust insight.

“...”

“Congratulations on your promotion.”

“You too.” ... “So, when will you be inaugurated?” she asked casually looking down into the river. Sakura felt Gaara’s gaze on her.

“Why would you think that?”

“You are the best choice. Smart and strong,” she shrugged desperately avoiding to look at the boy. Gaara really deserved it. She could remember how he commanded without much effort the whole allied shinobi forces. 

“Thank you…” he said silently.

“Hm?”

“For acknowledging me.”

“Oh. Well, it is just facts,” Sakura finally glanced in his direction. She froze. The boy… smiled. “Are.. are you okay, Gaara-san?”

“Yes. Thank you,” he nodded and left her still confused by the show of emotions. Naruto was a miracle worker, Sakura had to admit.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Saku, don’t be such a drag,” Shikamaru whined as he dragged her towards the hospital.

“Maaa, Shika, why can’t you just go by yourself?”

“He is _your_ teammate!”

“I highly doubt, that Team Seven is still a thing,” she sighed but didn’t protest anymore. Internally, she considered, that maybe it was Shikamaru, who needed her support facing Naruto. She knew, that the boy still felt guilty over their failed mission.

Naruto was all bandaged up, but bright despite all that happened. The same old promises came out of his mouth. Sakura ignored it all. Shortly, Shikamaru left to check on Choji. She wanted to leave too. Sakura went to the window and opened it when she was faced with none other than Jiraiya.

“Hello, you two.”

“Pervy sage!”

Sakura stepped back as her exit was blocked by the old man. She crossed her arms not amused. Naruto could show no respect even to legendary sannin without any consequences. So entitled.

“You’ve been given a mission by Lady Hokage herself,” he announced grabbing an apple from Naruto’s bedside. The blond boy sat up, eyes blazing. “It is rumored, that the sound nin are holding Sasuke in the Land of Rice Paddies.”

“When are we leaving?” Sakura asked professionalism kicking into her posture.

“As soon as you gather your things,” Jiraya grinned.

“ALRIGHT! We will get Sasuke teme! Believe it!” Sakura heard Naruto yell, as she leaped out of the window. No matter how much she didn’t care about the Uchiha, a mission was a mission, and she was set on completing it. Fully aware, that the rumors were false if she recalled her past correctly.

In twenty minutes Sakura was already headed towards the gates. She absentmindedly brushed a hand over her forehead. Ten minutes ago there was a huge bruise and probably a concussion out there. Now, not a trace was left of Kizashi’s handy work. At least he didn’t bloody her clothes this time.

“SAKU! Finally! Where took you so long?” Naruto eagerly bounced in place as she approached.

“Mmm, got lost on the road of life?” she offered. Naruto whined while Jiraiya eyed her curiously.

“So, Saku-kun, was it?” Jiraiya turned to her as they slowly walked out of the village.

“That’s my name.”

“Interesting mask you have there.”

“Pervey sage, don’t even try! Saku has not even shown his face to us!” Naruto butted in. He still tried. Poked and prodded, but Sakura answered every question curt and dry.

As they stepped into the village where a supposed Orochimaru lair was located, Jiraya dragged them straight to one of the more questionable reputation establishments.

“Shouldn’t we be gathering intel?” Sakura raised an eyebrow.

“Kid, this is the perfect place for that!” the sannin grinned and chuckled like a schoolgirl when two busty women approached him. Yet, the women leaned towards Saku instead. Long hands reaching to comb over her short hair.

“Aww, what adorable kid! Are you lost, darling?”

“No, taking care of the old man,” she huffed shuffling away. Unsuccessfully. One of the women already embraced Sakura against her… big heart.

“Awwwwww, so adorable!” Sakura couldn’t cringe more. Jiraiya laughed.

“Oh, yes, yes,” he nodded patting Sakura on the back. “Maybe I could get a discount, so my boy here could be left with more allowance?” Jiraiya wiggled his bushy brows.

“Of course!” the woman agreed. 

Troublesome. She couldn’t understand how Naruto could possibly endure three years of this. Thankfully, she and Naruto got away to actually do their mission.

The mission was a bust.

As expected. At least, they did demolish the hideout. Although, Sakura wasn’t sure how she felt about it. Orochimaru wasn’t the enemy here.

━━━━━━━━━━

Kakashi pondered what did he do to deserve this. His student left the village to join Orochimaru. His other student was almost dead chasing after Sasuke. His third student, he was pretty sure, resented him for doing nothing about it. 

_Rin.. Obito.. Is this you punishing me?_

He exhaled deeply as he entered the jonin headquarters. Maybe a mission would allow him to distract his mind. Kakashi was a creature of habit and this was his usual coping method. Looking around for Shikaku, he noticed someone else instead.

“Genma, what a coincidence seeing you here,” he approached the man with a senbon in his mouth. There was a little bone to pick with him. 

“Kakashi, what’s up?” the man smirked at him.

“I heard this interesting rumor.”

“Oh?”

“Have you been getting _my_ student drunk?” Kakashi was smiling with his sole eye, but his tone was far from happy. 

“Chill, Hatake, the boy agreed to it himself.”

“Saku is a child.”

“No, he is a shinobi.”

“He is fourteen!”

“Yeah. How old were you when you first tried it?” Genma smirked not at all intimidated by the masked shinobi towering over him.

“I better not hear it happening again,” a vial of threat was laced in Kakashi’s voice.

“Hey, I just wanted to check under the kid’s mask!”

“Genma, curiosity killed the cat, you know. Just ask Saku next time,” he exhaled.

“I sure will.”

“So there will be a next time?” Kakashi wasn’t happy with what he was hearing. He wasn’t about to lose another student! It was a matter of pride now.

“Mhmmm. I cannot help that the boy likes training with _me_ ,” the senbon moved as the man spoke. So annoyingly confident was Genam without a shred of guilt or concern. Kakashi struggled to keep his killing intent at bay. 

“What are you insinuating?”

“Oh, nothing,” Shiranui chuckled. “By the way, I kinda owe the boy now.” Kakashi raised an eyebrow. “He healed me after my team engaged with Orochimaru’s nin.”

Oh. Kakashi heard about the jonin’s who were injured. He didn’t know it was Genma’s team. He was also not aware, that Saku was anywhere near them. There was so much he didn’t know about his student. Some digging had to be done. What was Saku up to?

━━━━━━━━━━

Naruto left on his three-year training with Jiraiya. He didn’t even say goodbye. Sakura didn’t have it in her to be disappointed anymore. This was nothing new. 

“Pinky, what are you up to?” she didn’t flinch when Kakashi appeared next to her.

“Yo.”

“So?”

“Mmm, nothing?”

“Naruto left for training.”

“With Jiraiya-sama, yes, I am aware,” Sakura wasn’t amused. Where was he going with this? She didn’t remember Kakashi telling her this the last time.

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Are you not planning to train?”

“I always train.”

“You know, with your chakra control, Tsunade-sama could teach you a thing or two.”

“Pass. Not interested in becoming a medical-nin.”

“Hmm, then what are your plans?”

“Well, Ibiki-san offered me to work in T&I,” she shrugged casually not really being serious about this direction of her carrier either.

“Oh, did he now?” Kakashi gave the fake crinkle of his eye clearly not too enthusiastic about such carrier for her. “Let’s go for a spar, pinky,” she reluctantly had to accept the offer. Beats training alone or with clones.

━━━━━━━━━━


	27. Hidden Talents

“I have a mission for you.”

“Yes, Hokage-sama,” Genma bowed slightly before he stood relaxed in front of Tsunade.

“You’ll need a small team. In a village on the border of Land of Fire, there were sightings of Sound nin. Your goal is to gather intel. Inconspicuously. The prime target will be the weapons dealer, he goes by the name Suzaku. Do not engage him directly, am I clear?”

“Yes, Hokage-sama,” in truth, Shiranui got the hint why he was chosen for such a mission. His charisma opened many doors. “Has my team been decided yet?” he smirked having a couple of people in mind already.

“No. You have someone in mind?” Tsunade read him like a genin textbook.

“Yes. Yamanaka Inoichi,” obvious choice. Tsunade gave a nod of approval. “And Haruno Saku.”

“Haruno? Why?” she looked him over with suspicion.

“The boy is an epitome of innocence. It will come in handy,” he smirked. That was not the whole truth. In actuality, Genma still had his questions about the boy. 

“Hmm. Alright. Just don’t do anything _stupid_ , Shiranui,” she leveled him with her honey-colored eyes.

“Me? Never,” he still chuckled as he left the office.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura eagerly accepted her new mission. Finally, something to do! Naruto left. Kakashi was doing hell knows what (probably an abnormal amount of high-rank missions). Shika was also swamped with all the job Tsunade piled on the boy. Grooming, that’s how it should be called. Hayate avoided her for some reason.

But no matter! She was just happy to get out of Konoha. Removing the elder council and Danzo from the picture didn’t actually change much in the big picture. A new council was formed, picked by Tsunade herself. Danzo was still hunted down. Konoha was in peace. How boring.

“Pinky, just in time,” Genma winked at her as she stopped by the gates.

“Yo,” Sakura gave her usual greeting.

Then, the final member of their small team showed up. She whined inwardly. Out of all the people it had to be Inoichi Yamanaka. She could only hope, that Ino didn’t complain to him, about her avoiding the blond.

“Saku-kun,” Yamanaka gave her a nod and they set off in a sprint.

“Pinky, you understood our mission?” Genma turned to her as they leaped in the trees.

“Yes, Genma-san. Locate the target. Locate people close to him. Coax the information from them. Leave without a trace,” short and sweet summary. Genma approved with a nod.

“Good. How are you with henges?” Yamanaka asked.

“I can create and sustain a henge for an extended period of time,” yeah no shit. The physical transformation was almost like second nature to her by now.

“And how long would that be?” Genma was also curious.

“As long as the mission requires it, captain,” maybe that was a bit too cocky of her to say and she might regret it later, but Sakura was done suppressing her skills. Genma whistled. 

It took them the whole day to reach the village. Before entering it, they stopped to discuss more details.

“From now on, no mention of being Konoha nin. Show us your henge, kid,” Genma said as he himself morphed into a slightly younger version of himself. No more bandana or senbon in his mouth. No Konoha headband insight. Plain clothing. Inoichi changes as well. Hair shorter, eyes with pupils. Bland and unremarkable.

Sakura made a couple of hand signs, even if she didn’t need to, morphing without gestures would be more than she was comfortable revealing to two jonin next to her. Without a sound or smoke, her features changed.

She was now taller, more like a young male, then a teen in her physique. Eyes dark, clothing dull. Her face without a mask, hidden behind some strangers features from her past. Hair still pink though. She would sometimes use this form in Konoha when she visited local bars.

“Keeping the hair, huh?” Inoichi crossed his arms not impressed.

“...” she shrugged, but Genma only laughed tapping on her shoulder.

“Leave it. You look harmless that way.”

“It was my intention,” she shrugged again. After a moment of thinking it over, Inoichi had to agree. So the three of them entered the village and booked a room in one of the inns. 

They split up just as it was getting busy around the small town. Sakura walked casually pretending to be a traveler. Target was easy to spot. She noticed the man in his shop, just like their intel said.

After a moment of deliberation, Sakura settled in a small cafe nearby. She took out a book and started reading it with a cup of tea on her table. Besides a few customers, she took note of a girl that entered the shop with what looked like a wrapped bento box. Then a couple more cloaked men. Some more civilian looking customers.

As the sun was setting, Sakura closed her book and returned back to the inn. Genma and Inoichi were already there.

“Looks like Suzaku has a daughter. Around nineteen years old. There were couple shinobi looking customers in his shop too besides civilian ones,” she reported.

“Yes, I can confirm that. I saw the girl at their home too. Looks like Suzaku has a brother too, who works as a butcher,” Inoichi added.

“I checked around,” keyword for pestering young woman of this village, ”, it looks like there are a few bars favored by the locals. So tomorrow we can check them out,” Genma stretched. This probably was more like a holiday for a jonin of his standing.

Sakura nodded and prepared her bedroll. Three of them shared a room. Not a concern for her. Henge dropped, but her body transformation was still in place. Not the first time she will have to spend days in disguise without a break.

The next day, they continued with surveillance from a distance. This time, Sakura was watching Suzaku’s home. Nobody paid much attention to some guy casually reading on a bench. Except for a girl or two, who sent her glances as they passed by.

In the evening, she met up with Genma and Inoichi by their Inn, and together they went into a bar. As they looked around for a free table, Genma whispered to her ear.

“Suzaku’s daughter is by the bar. She is looking at you. Get her alone and slip this in,” he quickly said as he placed a pill in her pocket. Sakura would have protested if she was her old self. Saku only gave a short nod accepting his mission.

━━━━━━━━━━

“What are you thinking?!” Inoichi almost whisper yelled at Genma as Saku walked away towards the bar.

“Shh, just watch, I have a hunch,” he smirked and pulled the blond to sit by one of the free tables so that they would have a good view of the place and their comrade. Chakra enhance hearing and sight, they casually watched how the pink-haired boy stopped by the bar, intentionally with his back towards the girl.

The girl stared. Her eyes sparkled at the stranger who seemingly ignored her existence. Looks like Saku ordered some sake. 

“Excuse me? You are not from around here?” the girl actually patted Saku on the shoulder herself. The boy merely gave her a glance and a nod. Something in Saku’s eyes looked sad and nostalgic.

“What is he doing???” Inoichi hissed at Genma.

“Calm down, the boy is a natural. Just watch.” He of course was right. As Saku walked away to another free table nearby without a word, the girl couldn’t keep her eyes away. One. Two. Three. Four. And she was off. Bravely the girl approached Saku again.

“Mmm, do you mind if I join you?” she asked flirtatious eyes fluttering at the boy. Saku sighed but nodded with a kind gentle smile playing on his lips. The girl was bold, Genma had to give it to her. She sat right next to Saku.

“You… you look sad? Is there something wrong?” her eyes were big as she gazed up at Saku’s face. Indeed, there was that same nostalgia in his eyes.

Saku turned at her and looked for a long moment into her eyes.

“It’s nothing… It’s just… you remind me of someone,” he smiled kindly and took a sip from his cup turning away.

“Your girlfriend?”

“Mmm,” Saku gave a half-hearted nod. The girl looked a bit discouraged, but her curiosity eventually prevailed.

“Is she not here?”

“She… she left me,” he said with hesitation looking somewhere in the distance.

“Oh, you poor soul,” the girl said hardly hiding the happy tone in her voice. “Let me get you a drink, that will cheer you up!” she eagerly suggested. Saku rewarded her with a shy smile. Then Saku’s hand nonchalantly reached for the girl’s chin and held it for a second as their eyes were fixed on one another.

“You are very kind, but I don’t think that any amount of alcohol could drown my pain,” Saku said retracting his hand. Well-timed sigh and another sip from his cup.

“You weren’t kidding,” Inoichi muttered as the two of them watched the encounter. The girl already looked smitten. Ready to offer her shoulder to cry on. Ready to do _anything_.

“Why?” she asked. Saku exhaled deeply. Closed his eyes and opened them again. Then turned to the girl. He extended his hand wordlessly asking for her palm. She obliged like under hypnosis. Then Saku placed her tiny palm on his well-toned chest.

“Feel my heart. I think it’s broken,” the pain and sadness in Saku’s eyes looked far too real.

“Aww…” yes, the girl audibly awed at the small interaction. Saku already had let go of her hand, but she still kept it on his chest. Scootching closer by his side, the girl stared even deeper into his eyes. “It will be okay. I promise. Don’t be sad,” her pleading voice was genuine. 

Saku only smiled sadly at her.

“So kind…” he barely whispered.

This was one of those moments when you don’t know a stranger’s name, but there is electricity between you. The girl was enchanted. She got more drinks and cooed sweet nothings into Saku’s ear. Her hand was firmly placed on his thigh. 

“Mmm, why don’t we go out of here? It is getting too noisy,” she smiled sweetly with badly faked innocence. Saku looked hesitant to accept the offer right away. The girl pushed on as she leaned to his neck. Genma and Inoichi barely heard her words.

“Come. I will make you forget she ever existed,” it almost looked like she kissed Saku’s neck, but it was hard to tell from their angle and the boy’s face didn’t give it away.

“Alright, my angel. I am at your mercy,” Saku said with a tiny smile, his eyes looking down at the girl with tenderness. The girl probably would have melted in the spot, if not for Saku’s hand holding her by the waist.

The couple stood up and left with a full bottle of Sake in hand. Inoichi and Genma exchanged knowing glances and left in opposite direction. Now their mission really begins.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura thanked Kami for that one time she read over Jiraiya's books. It was a surprise for her, but the cheesy lines actually worked on this nameless girl. Shortly, she was dragged up the stairs into one of the rooms above the bar. Now she only had to make the girl drink some sake with a pill mixed in. Easy enough?

She was wrong. As soon as the door closed behind her, the girl was all over her. Sakura pulled her act together and played along. Tenderly embracing the warm body that yearned for her attention. The girl didn’t hesitate to connect their lips.

Mission focused Sakura didn’t really stop to think about what she was doing. It didn’t feel wrong or weird. But she wasn’t aroused either. This was purely a part of the mission she had to do.

So she kissed back the girl with a passion. Slowly maneuvering their bodies towards the bed. The nimble fingers of her prey already managed to unbutton her shirt. Oh, Sakura didn’t want to go that far. She was well aware, that Genma and Inoichi watched their every move from the outside.

“How about another drink, angel?” she carefully suggested as the girl laid under her on the bed, so vulnerable and flaming with desire. 

“Mmmm, the only drink I want is your lips,” the girl almost moaned out. Sakura gave a smirk with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

She would have used medical ninjutsu to incapacitate the target but didn’t want to risk it with jonins watching her every move. They could potentially consider it as some forbidden jutsu and Tsunade would definitely not approve. 

So Sakura pulled away and reached for the bottle of sake they brought to the room. Skillfully she added the pill. It dissolved almost instantly. Swiveling the liquid slowly, Sakura returned to her place on top of the girl. With uninterrupted eye contact Sakura took a sip of sake into her mouth and leaned in. With the embrace of their lips, the drink was now in the girl’s mouth.

Well, at least the target looked satisfied as a smile stretched across her face. Another moment passed, and her eyes closed shut. Finally, Sakura exhaled and went to open the window.

“Good job, pinky,” Genma patted her on the back as she was closing the curtains so nobody could spy inside.

“Yeah…” Inoichi didn’t look as happy. But there was no time to talk. Yamanaka had a job to do and he proceeded to use his jutsu on the girl’s mind.

“Hey kid, you are a natural,” Genma started talking as they waited.

“A natural?” She raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“Yeah. The way you seduced that girl. You can’t just learn something like that from books.”

“Have you ever read Jiraiya-sama books? I found them very helpful in this situation,” Sakura suggested calmly as if she was not a teen speaking about mostly pornographic books, but a fellow scholar sharing her research materials. Genma choked on air and looked at her like a gambler looks at a huge win.

“What?” she carefully asked.

“You talking about those books Kakashi constantly reads?” eyes glimmered with triumph.

“Yes?”

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coloring done by @TiredSquidy  
> 


	28. Underworld

Sakura, Genma, and Inoichi returned to Konoha in a few days. Their mission was a success. Obviously. They left the girl with faked signs that she had an _eventful_ night, what should prevent her from ever talking about it to anyone. Shame was a powerful weapon that could silence even the biggest gossipers. Now they stood before Tsunade.

“...so we located the target’s daughter, she was in the closest contact with him. Then, pinky, got her alone and Yamanaka gathered the intel,” Genma explained sparing many details as he placed a written copy of Inoichi’s findings on Hokage's table. Tsunade looked at the man with wariness as she was probably tired of his laid back behavior.

“Haruno took point? I am surprised to hear that, Genma,” she said calmly.

“Oh yes, the boy has _talents_ ,” Sakura really didn’t like where he was getting at.

“Talents? Explain.”

“Well, pinky here turns out to be a natural master of seduction,” Genma said completely serious, yet Tsunade scoffed thinking it was a joke. When the man didn’t laugh, she turned her questioning gaze to Sakura.

“Seduction, huh? I believe it when I see it. Demonstrate,” Hokage was skeptical. Sakura blinked a couple of times unsure of what would be appropriate in this situation. She opted out for her dumb act.

“Mmm, excuse me, Hokage-sama? What do you mean by demonstration?” Genma chuckled by her side like an omen of bad news.

“Seduce me, brat,” even Tsunade had a smirk on her lips fully sure of Sakuras imminent failure of such task. Inoichi was opening and closing his mouth like a fish gasping for air.

“Yes,” Sakura bowed slightly and her appearance and voice were already morphing into an older version of Saku. Without a mask. Some strangers face with gentle features. Pink hair remained. Yamanaka stared at her like she was about to blow this whole place up. He surely considered such a task a suicide. “Your order is my command, Hokage-sama,” she finished speaking as her transformation ended.

Eyes calm and gentle of dark blue shade looked right at the sannin. “May I approach you?” she asked in a lower soft voice without breaking the eye contact. Tsunade looked amused as she nodded. 

Sakura walked around the desk from the left side as six pairs of eyes tracked her every move, not counting at least a couple of ANBU hidden in the room. She walked behind Tsunade, her hand gently brushed over the back of her chair. Sakura stopped by the woman’s side.

With a serene smile, Sakura opened the bottom drawer of Hokage’s desk and pulled out a cup and a bottle of sake. Yes, she knew exactly what Tsunade liked the most. She knew what would make her ex-shisho melt. And she used all that information to her advantage.

Elegantly she poured the drink for Tsunade and left the cup in front of her. Then she leaned closer to the blond’s ear. ANBU tensed. Genma was watching without blinking. Inoichi couldn’t close his eyes even if he tried.

“Now I will stand behind you and I will place my hands on your shoulders, so please do not kill me,” Sakura whispered making sure that her breath lingered on Tsunade’s neck. The woman didn’t answer, but Sakura took it as a good sign and proceeded to do exactly what she said.

Sakura’s manly hands now rested on Tsunade’s shoulders and she started to gently massage at those spots. She knew exactly where to press to get the desired effect.

“What are…?” Hokage was about to question, but instantly her face changed into an understanding ‘oh’ expression. The blond closed her eyes and leaned back. Her hand already lifting the cup to her lips.

“You gotta be shitting me…” Genma barely held himself together as he observed what was happening in front of his eyes. The kid actually did it.

“Alright, I have to hand it to you, kid, you got some skills,” Tsunade hummed as she continued to relish in Sakura’s ministrations. “Hmmm…”

“Thank _you_ ,” Sakura leaned in closer to whisper again. She noticed how little hair on the woman’s back stood up.

“Chem, should we leave you two alone?” Genma was almost choking with giggles as he stammered a comment. Instantly he dodged a cup that flew towards his head.

“Alright, Haruno, you made your point. Now scram before I changed my mind if I should punish you or not for your antics,” Tsunade exhaled.

“Of course, Hokage-sama,” Sakura nodded pulling away. As she walked back in front of the desk, her appearance was back to normal. Genma had to drag Inoichi out by the man’s collar as he was still frozen in shock.

“You have balls, kid,” Genma said before walking away. Inoichi stared at her with crossed arms.

“...”

“Haruno, I think we need to have a _talk_ ,” the blond started. She tilted her head to the side. Eye’s blinking with mild confusion.

“...?”

“So.. chem.. What you did during the mission… there will come a time, when.. chem.. You’ll have to go _further_ with a target,” Sakura’s eyes got wider as her mind followed the man’s words.

“Do you mean coitus?” she asked nonchalantly.

“Chem… yes… have you… I mean… will you know what to do in such a case?” Yamanaka’s cheeks were getting red.

“Yes, Yamanaka-sama, I am familiar with the process. There were lessons about it in the academy,” she answered drily. Indeed, she knew a thing or two about sex. 

“Right. Chem… good. Well, if you ever have questions…” this was getting way more awkward than she could handle.

“Thank you, I will make sure to ask you…”

“Wait wait, no! I mean, your sensei is Kakashi, right? I think you can ask him about that,” Inoishi hurried to shuffle off this responsibility. Sakura thought it over. Well, probably it would be pretty funny to ask Kakashi about such things. She smirked and nodded.

“Alright. I’ll be sure to ask him,” she bowed and left to avoid any other weird things the old man had to say to her.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura yet again had a break between missions. She decided to visit her new/ old friends as she went deep into the forest.

“Summoning…” she whispered brushing a spec of blood over her arm. She didn’t actually bite her finger or cut herself. She tried something new - to use her blood jutsu to extract a drop of blood from her skin and move it.

With a poof of smoke, her summon appeared.

“ **KRA! Pinky, long time no see,** ” Mokuhi flapped his wings and landed on the top of her head.

“Yo. Can you get me to the plains? I want to train a bit with everyone there,” she asked. Nobody will miss her for a day, right? The raven shrieked one more time before both of them disappeared.

She blinked a couple of times and hurried to funnel chakra into her feet, so she could step on top of the water that surrounded her.

“Mokuhi, do you think I could speak with someone… wise?” she received a peck to her head. “Auch!”

“ **We are all wise, brat.** ”

“Hmmm, right. Sorry. I mean… I want to speak to someone... About how death works?” she tried to put it in words, but it was hard. Actually, all Sakura wanted was to find the answer to the puzzle that was her rebirth.

“ **Hmmm death you say? Then you need to speak with Takai,** ” the raven spread his wings and showed her way to a pile of dead trees. On top of it sat an old looking raven with four wings and a golden staff.

“Hello, Takai-san, may I speak with you?” Sakura bowed deeply as ravens reacted well to respect, that much she already learned. Mokuhi perched on a branch nearby.

“ **Hmmm, ask your question, human child,** ” his voice was emotionless and calm. You couldn’t say he was annoyed, but it was clear that she better get to the point without wasting his time.

“Why am I alive? I should be dead,” she said it. It is not like she was ungrateful, but she felt uneasy about the mystery that was her rebirth. 

“ **When a human dies, his soul goes to the underworld. Yours didn’t.** ” She scrunched her face. Well obviously. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be here. 

“But why?” 

The raven took a moment before answering. His beady eyes looked right through her making Sakura uneasy. Was he looking directly at her soul? 

“ **In darkness there is light and in light there is darkness. Death is necessary for rebirth. Destruction is necessary for renewal. There must be death in order to make room for birth.** ” 

“Alright… but how? Why doesn’t this happen to more people then?” the raven wasn’t very helpful. Now she had even more questions than before. 

“ **You must accept destruction or death in your life as an opportunity for renewal or rebirth. Sometimes our lives may go through difficult dark times in order for better and brighter things to come,** ” his words sounded like something Orochimaru would say. 

“So, you are saying that by committing suicide I accepted death as an opportunity for something… better?” she tilted her head trying to make sense of things. “Wouldn’t that happen for more people? Why me? I am surely not the only one who… died in such a way,” she still couldn’t understand _how_ it happened. Was it jutsu? Was it something else? 

“ **Hmm… why indeed. Our fear of the darkness is worse than anything we may find there. Your soul does not have that fear. It might be, that your soul reached the astral plane instead of being guided to the underworld.** ” 

“Guided…? Someone guides the souls after death?” 

“ **Yes. Actually, some ravens are tasked with guiding the dead to the underworld, that is how we became wise in the ways of death.** ” 

“ **KRA! That is right. Takai, maybe pinky used astral travel?** ” Mokuhi pitched in. Sakura tried to comprehend, but their words sounded unfamiliar. She was not aware of any _astral travel_ ways. 

“Astral travel? What is that?” 

“ **Astral projection,** ” Takai corrected, “ **The separation of a spirit from its mortal body and traveling the Astral Plane. Your spirit can travel to spiritual realms like Underworld and back. To dreams. Some can communicate with other spirits in their astral form.** ” 

“... so the person who… astral projects… dies?” 

“ **User's body is essentially dead. For a human, it is called a coma and thus a very vulnerable state.** ” 

“Hmm.. then how come I ended up in this body? … wait, are you saying that while in an astral plane, I traveled.. And just landed in the wrong body in the wrong… world?” she felt very much crazy saying it out loud. Although, quickly, her mind reminded of how Orochimaru died and was resurrected. So maybe it is not _that_ crazy. 

“ **Hmmm, that would make sense,** ” the big bird nodded, but she felt like he wasn’t saying the whole truth. 

“Can.. can I control it? I don’t want for it to happen by accident...” somehow, Sakura got used to her new life and she didn’t want to end up in a new body again. By accident or on purpose. Sakura wanted control over her life and death. 

“ **So, young one, you want to take control of your soul?** ” 

“Yes! Please teach me, Takai-san,” she bowed deeply. What else could she do? She had to learn. To protect herself… to use this skill of astral projection for her own benefit. 

“ **Hmm, alright, chick. I will teach you. You will see things, that you will not be able to unsee. Spirits that surround you will no longer be hidden. Control over your soul comes with a cost, remember that,** ” he warned her, but Sakura was already committed. She nodded firmly standing tall in front of the elder raven. 

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura returned to Konoha slightly disturbed. She could still hear the screams ringing in her ears. The dead were not so quiet when you could _see_ them and _hear_ them. After six hours she got more or less desynthesized to their noise. Yet, the silence of the forest felt a thousand times louder now.

Maybe her hearing improved? Sakura wondered as she could now tell a bird leaping away from a brach in a distance. A rabbit hopping into a bush to her left. Everything sounded more pronounced and clear.

Carefully Sakura unmasked her chakra and returned home. It didn’t look like anyone noticed her being gone. Good. She craved sleep. The sun was already rising as she stepped a foot into the civilian district.

“Haruno-san? Hokage-sama has summoned you,” a chunin landed next to her. Sigh. No sleep it is. She gave a nod and turned around. 

Stepping into the familiar office she noticed familiar faces. Shino and… Genma? Well, that is a weird combination, she thought bowing to Tsunade.

“Brat, finally. You got another mission,” the blond cut to the chase and assigned a… seduction mission? Ah, well after her stunt, it was to be expected. “Got it? Now leave right away,” she ordered without giving them a second glance. Another ploy to located Orochimaru via his sound nin.

As they headed towards the village gate, Sakura still wondered why Genma had such an interest in her. And to make the matters worse, the man was grinning menacingly. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him.

“Genma-san, what is our plan?” she questioned.

“Oh, don’t sweat it, pinky, let’s keep it a surprise,” he outright chuckled now. Scary.

Sakura was right to be worried. As they reached a small town, Genma finally relayed their plan of action.

“Shino, you will be our surveillance. We will have to be extremely cautious with this group. Our intel said they will be at the theatre tomorrow evening.”

“Sound nin came here to casually watch a play?” Shino asked with justified skepticism. 

“Yeah, I know, right? There is something going on behind the scenes. So we’ll have to track down what exactly they are after,” Genma agreed.

“Pinky, you will blend in with the crowd and track them up close,” she nodded but sensed that there was more. “In case our targets split up, Saku, stay with the one closest to you, we will take over watching others from the outside,” another nod.

“Do we know anything more about the targets?” Sakura finally asked. 

“Yeah. Our source said it was four shinobi looking men and one civilian looking one. Your mission will be to get close to the civilian, got it?” Genma was still not saying something. Sakura nodded. Despite what he omitted, this was a mission and an order from a superior, so she was dammed, but she will follow his command to the tee.

Only the next day Genma finally revealed what he was holding back on.

“So, Saku, you’ll have to henge into a girl.”

Honestly, she should have expected this. Sakura paused before nodding slowly. Shiranui watched her for a reaction. She gave him nothing. Carefully considering her options, Sakura finally made hand signs for her transformation.

In a minute she morphed. Her clothing was now a delicate kimono. Eyes colored black like the night sky. Her hair was still pink, but longer and put up in an intricate hairdo. Her face was soft and delicate. Lips red as blood, eyes outlined with black eyeliner. 

“Hmm, how about this?” she asked looking at her two teammates, who _both_ openly gawked at her new look. 

“Saku, your henge is so detailed,” Shino whispered leaning in to examine the little ornaments on her kimono…. Ornaments, right? Shino would never stare so bluntly at her figure? Right?

“Damn, pinky, you really don’t have a girlfriend?”

“I don’t remember saying that,” she shrugged casually. Genma could only laugh in response.

“Alright, alright. Shino, take your position, I will be covering the north side. Saku, try not to attract too much attention. Or actually, scratch that. Get as close as you can,” Genma reconsidered after looking her over one more time. “I think even I would buy it. You look like a very realistic civilian girl.”

“Thanks?”

And so they parted ways. It wasn’t too hard to spot shinobi in a civilian crowd. Their chakra burned like a beacon. Sakura tried to look around _without_ looking around. She noticed one, two… Ah, there was the third shinobi. Turning around she spotted the last one.

Locating their ‘civilian’ partner turned out to be harder. All shinobi were scattered inside the hall. For the first act of the play, she didn’t notice them looking at anyone but the stage. 

_I need a better view,_ she thought as a break started. Sakura spotted a couple of balconies with seats. That would do. It wasn’t that hard to get there. Fluttering eyes and blushed cheeks did the job. 

Sakura accessed the middle balcony. There was no one there. Good. She stepped close to the rail and looked down at the crowd.

“Can I help you, miss?” a voice behind her made Sakura flinch. She turned around startled and looked down right away playing the role of a shy girl. In reality, she was shocked, how she didn’t notice this man’s presence. Was he always there? Did he just enter?

“Oh.. my apologies.. I.. I just wanted a better view…” she stammered out, taking pointers of Hinata’s behavior.

“Ahh, are you a fan of the arts too? Well, I do not mind, please join me,” the man coed, she felt his smile as her eyes were still cast down. Ha, the shy girl act had yet to fail her. Sakura smiled and sat down next to him. It was a tall dark-haired man. He looked overwhelmingly… bland.

As the second part of the play started, she kept a close eye on shinobi down below. After about ten minutes, she noticed them leaving. Ah, so they were up to something. Sakura stood up to leave too, but the man next to her grabbed her wrist.

“Oh, you will missssss the best parrrrt,” he whispered. The long tongue darted out of his mouth in a familiar manner. Sakura’s eyes instantly sharpened. No. Fuckin. Way. The man they were looking for was right next to her. What was she supposed to do now? A good shinobi would follow rules… Or gather intel… A bad shinobi would say nothing… Sakura was feeling grey today. Intel and saying nothing it is.

So she gave a shy nod and sat back down. Sakura didn’t struggle to relax in Orochimaru’s presence. Her body naturally fell into such a state. Many years past since, but she still remembered his… _teachings_.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Raven elder Takai:  
>   
> [Art Reference](https://www.artstation.com/artwork/croax-level-2-the-raven-sage)


	29. Light in Darkness

_Oh, you will missssss the best parrrrt._

It was definitely him. She wanted desperately to say something, but no words fit for the occasion came to mind. She couldn’t just go and act as if they were more than strangers. So she could only wait for _the best part_. 

Sakura couldn’t feel the shinobi chakra bellow, her teammates were also away. She was all alone with the Legendary Snake Sannin. 

“Aren’t you far away from home, little one,” he spoke first. Sakura considered dropping the act, but if he wasn’t she won’t wither. With her real female voice, Sakura dared to answer.

“Oh, I actually don’t live that far,” she even gave him a smile. Being a dumb gullible girl was too easy. No shinobi second-guessed or even considered that a pink-haired girl could _be_ something more than that.

“Hmmm, are you not sssscared of the dark all alone with a sssstranger?”

Sakura giggled. Something came over her. Something that made her feel free as she allowed her femininity out of the self-made cage. Daring she took his hand placed on her chest. Yes, exactly the same gesture she just tried in her first mission with Shiranui.

“Can you feel it? My heart is calm. There is no fear in it,” a sprinkle of paraphrased words that Takai said about her. Coming up with her own smart lines was too demanding, so she had no guilt in using other people’s words.

“Mmm, how about noooow?” in a blink of an eye there was a kunai in his palm with the tip resting at her throat. 

Fuck it, she thought as another ludicrous idea popped into her head. A smile stretched her red lips as she parted them slowly. Her tongue piqued out and licked on the blade in a trademark Orochimaru fashion. The man also smiled at her.

“Are you teasing me?” she asked playfully. Orochimaru snickered at that. His free hand entangled into her hair and pulled her head back to put her neck at a display. Now her heart quickened its pace.

“How about noooow?” he whispered as he obviously felt the change within her.

“MMmmm, I am excited now,” she admitted, eyes blazing with the feeling in question. She wasn’t giving him what _he_ wanted. So Orochimaru pulled away. “Oh, is it my turn now?” her eyes were mischievous as she looked him over.

The sannin raised an eyebrow at her, probably wondering how exactly is she going to attack. Compared to him, Sakura didn’t move at all with how slow she leaned towards him. 

“You see, mister, you shouldn’t go around teasing girls like that,” she whispered inching closer to his face.

“Or what?” he snorted amused.

“Ooooor,” her hand rested on his thigh as she leaned to his ear, “you might get,” now she was barely millimeters away from his skin, “teeeased,” her hand brushed his leg creeping closer to the nether region, “in return.” Finally, her lips touched right behind his earlobe. Gently she nibbled on it as she recalled this was one of the sweet spots for the man. 

At first, he was relaxed, then tense, and then relaxed again. A wild rollercoaster ride was this encounter for the poor snake. Sakura felt an urge that she hadn’t recalled for many years. The need to be held. The need to be touched. By him.

“Come oooon, Orochi-kun, play with me,” she encouraged sweetly, but there was darkness in her light words. A hidden meaning under an innocent request followed by more clear intent her hand was showing as she stroked him over his clothing. 

This probably was too much, as Sakura realized that the man simply disappeared into thin air.

“Coward,” she muttered. At least now she could leave in search of her team. Still keeping her henge, Sakura walked out of the building, her senses extended. She wondered if it were hormones of her young body that made her so daring. So willing. And sooooo _hungry_.

━━━━━━━━━━

Alright, Kakashi wasn’t stalking the man, it just so happened that he walked in the same direction... And then turned at the same corner… and then entered the same alley…

“Out with it, Hatake,” Ibiki turned to him arms crossed on his broad chest. His black jacket touseled in the wind like some sinister shadow.

“Maaa, what a surprise to find you here, Morino,” Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. Did he really just try to lie right into the face of the commanding officer of the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force. Yes, he did. As a show of obvious disrespect.

“Don’t test me, Hatake. I will make you walk around the city without a mask if you don’t say what it is you want,” the intimidating man said in a low threatening tone. He was serious. Kakashi had to drop his cheery act, sole eye-getting serious in an instant.

“Why do you want Saku in T&I?”

“Stop sheltering the boy, Hatake. He has talent. You saw my report from the chunin exams,” Ibiki rolled his eyes not impressed with such reasoning for tailing him.

“It is not a place, for a child.”

“He is no kid. He is a shinobi of the Leaf and capable for that matter. What would you have him do? Berry him with paperwork behind a desk?” he lifted an eyebrow in a questioning manner. By now, it wasn’t a secret, that Kakashi was a _little_ protective over his spawn.

“No. But there is no reason for him to be exposed to _your_ kind of work,” Kakashi’s voice was inquisitory. As if what Ibiki did was not for the benefit of the village and the whole Lands of Fire.

“The boy is tougher and stronger, then you give him credit.”

“I know very well how skilled he is.”

“Do you?”

Kakashi scrunched his eyebrows. What was that supposed to mean?

━━━━━━━━━━

”I think that ‘civilian’ of the group, was a shinobi,” Sakura said calmly as she was healing a nasty break on Shino’s arm. 

“Why do you say that, pinky?”

“Well, he pulled a kunai on me and then just vanished into thin air,” she shrugged casually. It might be wrong not to tell that a shinobi she encountered was the one and only - the wild Orochimaru. Well, it wouldn’t change the outcome of their mission, so she kept that bit of information to herself.

It turned out, that the four shinobi they were after were far more skilled and even anticipated their presence. 

“Could it be that we received the wrong intel?” Shino wondered rubbing his freshly healed hand. The implications in his words were clear - it was a setup.

“Don’t sweat it, kids, let us worry about it,” Genma winked without any worry in his tone. Sakura wasn’t buying it. After all the time she spent with Shiranui, she started to catch on to his acting.

“Us?” she asked curiously.

“Yeah. Hokage and jonins,” Sakura puffed her lip. Did he forget she was not some genin anymore? Insulting.

Either way, they had to go back to the village. At least all of them were alive.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Pinky, there you are,” Kakashi suddenly appeared behind the boy. It was a low-key mission for the man to surprise his student at least once. So far he did not have such luck.

“Yo,” Saku raised a hand not phased by his sudden appearance.

“You’ve been busy, I heard.”

“Just doing my shinobi duty, sensei,” Saku shrugged. Oh, Kakashi heard alright how busy his student was. Jonins, thanks to Genma, started to refer to the pink-haired boy as the ‘Konoha’s Prince Charming’ or even better ‘Pink Heart Snatcher’.

“Why don’t we grab something to eat?” Kakashi suggested not missing how the emerald eyes looked at him with suspicion. “What, can’t a sensei treat his student once in a while?”

“Hmm, alright,” the boy nodded after a pause. Kakashi didn’t like the mischievous glint in Saku’s eyes. He might regret it later, but it really was a while since he last spoke with Saku.

They ended up in a dango shop.

“Sensei, I actually have something I wanted to ask you.”

“Oh?” Kakashi perked up. He wondered if it was about a new jutsu the boy might be developing. Or maybe it was a blue moon and he wanted to train with _him_ for once?

“Yamanaka-sama suggested I should ask you. He said we should have _the talk_.”

“The talk?” Kakashi blinked obviously missing something.

“Yes. About the possibility of coitus happening during a mission. Any advice you could give?” even over a mask, Kakashi could see a smirk stretch across Saku’s face. Just then, his mind finally took in the question and he choked slightly while inhaling.

“Mmm… hasn’t your father had a talk with you about it yet?” Kakashi tried his best to shrug off this responsibility. Saku’s excitement visibly diminished. Ha, as if he will be outsmarted by a chils and fall for the dirty trick Inoichi tried to pull on him here by suggesting such things to his student.

“Hmm, yeah, we… talked,” Saku rather easily gave up on the subject and Kakashi was glad.

“How about we have a spar instead?” copy-nin suggested and the boy agreed. Easy. No wonder Kakashi was the master at evasion.

━━━━━━━━━━

It was almost a year since Naruto left the village. Sakura’s mission count was pretty good. Being a chunin, she actually had a chance to work with many different shinobi. From jonin to genin. No one complained about her taking the lead. And when she was following, the orders were executed with utmost scrutiny.

Besides her combat, seduction, and intel gathering skills, her teammates learned to value and even rely on her healing jutsu. She was the unofficial medic. No matter how Tsunade pushed, she denied becoming a medical-nin each time. Eventually, Hokage gave up and allowed her to do what she does best…

“You really have a way,” Shikamaru commented once, as she complained about Tsunade’s nagging.

“A way with what?”

“Whatever you want.” She punched him in the shoulder at that time, but not at all offended. Indeed, being strong and versatile allowed her to dictate her own path.

In the morning dusk yet again Sakura found herself on a mission with Genma. He made a point of asking for her in almost every mission he could. Over time, she really got close to the man. You could say they were friends.

Besides training and missions, Genma would also invite her to bars after a successful mission. He never got tired of trying to peek under her mask.

Shikamaru was on this mission as well. Bringing big guns, she joked as they left the village. Yes, next to these two, Sakura felt comfortable to let her guard down a bit. She smiled more. She _joked_.

As they stopped midway to rest, Genma kept glancing at her.

“What?”

“Okay, I give up! Pinky, what is under your mask?” he asked bluntly for the first time. Sakura chuckled. So he finally gave in?

“Under my mask... is another mask! Pretty cool right?” she said the same line as she once did to her teammates as she casually lowered her mask to indeed reveal another mask. Shiranui let out a pained wince.

“You are killing me, Heart Snatcher.”

“Don’t call me that!”

“Ha, prince charming maybe?” Shikamaru also laughed. She will never get to live these nicknames down. Sakura sighed in defeat.

“Alright alright. Let’s talk about the mission, yeah?” Genma suggested still miming as if his heart is snatched. Sakura punched him in the shoulder with light force.

“Fine. Listen, you brats. We are hunting two men that have been ambushing diplomats from Suna, got it? They shouldn’t be too strong, at least our intel says that. But they are clever to have evaded Konoha for so long,” both chunins nodded. Witch Shikamaru on the team they had ‘cleverness’ covered.

So they discussed potential tactics and plans of action. Young Nara really made their lives easy here. He already had at least a dozen possible scenarios ready with counter-attacks planned out.

After a while, they got back on the road towards the border where the pair was last spotted.

“Hmm, is it me are are you also getting this… weird vibe?” Shikamaru said as they leaped over the branches at a fast pace. Sakura nodded. Yes, something was in the air. A fight.

The boy wasn’t wrong as usual. The first attack really hit them by surprise. A large bang scattered their formation. The second blast almost deafened Sakura. Quickly she healed her inner ear and looked for the target.

A black blop was quickly approaching her and Sakura took her wakizashi blade just in time to counter. She heard the sounds of a fight from behind her too. So much for taking them by surprise. Thankfully, Shikamaru anticipated themselves being ambushed.

The plan was to separate their targets and take them out. That was their first mistake. But Sakura didn’t know that yet as she sent her target flying back after he was unfortunate enough to make contact with her chakra enhanced kick.

She quickly looked around. Smoke and dust were still all around her. How annoying. But at least she could work with that as she clearly sensed three beating hearts on the far left of the field they ended up in.

With caution, she approached. Shikamaru wasn’t doing so well. Looks like the second target had some weird kekkei genkai that hardened his limbs. At least that is what she learned watching how Genmas senbons just bounced of the shinobi’s shin without leaving as much as a scratch.

The man also didn’t stand still long enough for Shikamaru’s shadow to catch him. Damn. Troublesome, she thought. Sakura still refrained from using her blood jutsu. She didn’t want to rely on one technique, no matter how powerful it was.

She should have used it, was the only thought in her mind as she saw how Shikamaru was smacked to the ground. Quickly Sakura attacked in unison with Genma, but it was to no use. Their blades had no effect on the man.

Medical ninjutsu it is, she decided, engaging in close combat. Suddenly, a loud scream echoed over the field. She turned to see Genma impaled by a spiky sword held by the other target she thought to be incapacitated. It went right through Shiranui’s belly.

With speed she didn’t know she had, Sakura created two clones and leaped towards her teammate. If she didn’t hurry, he will bleed to death. Her clones acted as a distraction, while she healed Genma. His intestines were a mess. The weapon left what looked like ribbons of meat.

“Fuck…” she muttered channeling more chakra. Her healing was fast but not as fast as on her own body. Sakura felt how one of her clones disappeared from existence. “Shit… Fuck… Just a little more,” she cursed as sweat dripped from her forehead. Her hands were completely covered in blood, but at least Genma was getting more stable. 

With her senses heightened, Sakura noticed that Shikamaru managed to _take care_ of one of the targets. The one with the blade. Good riddance. The only shinobi left was still fighting her clone. 

Splash. Her last clone was gone. She didn’t have any more time.

“Just a fuckin moment…” she yelped making final ministrations on Genmas abdomen. Exhausted, chakra low, but still capable of holding her own, Sakura stood up. She didn’t have a moment.

With terror, her eyes realized that Shikamaru was down again, unable to move and the last shinobi was soaring the air as he aimed some nasty looking jutsu in his hand towards her friend. There was no choice. Sakura leaped on instinct in front of Shikamaru.

“NOOOOO!” she heard him yell. Or was it her voice? Sakura couldn’t tell as she felt the full impact of the jutsu hit her right side. Preemptively, she already circulated her leftover chakra in that area, but it wasn’t enough.

The world flickered in her eyes. She felt like everything was slipping. She didn’t have enough chakra to counter-attack. Even with blood jutsu, that required a measly amount of effort. For some reason, she could activate her Yin Seals. She has tried them out before, they work. So why not now...? Was it too late?...

It felt like a hook was impaled to her belly and tugged her forward into the darkness. The only thing she could do was to grab on to her swords. But it was too late. Darkness engulfed her mind. She felt like she was falling into space.

━━━━━━━━━━


	30. Rest In Peace

It took over a year for Orochimaru to reengineer his jutsu. It would be so much easier to use a human, yet Naruto strictly forbade that. A shame really, but a challenge at least made his life more interesting.

“Why did you summon me, Orochimaru?” a pale man stood in a circle of ink and parchment. There were candles lit all around them. The snake slowly walked around closely examining Kabuto.

“Hmm, lookssss like it finally worked,” he wasn’t even listening to his former subject. All body parts were there, snake-like features too. And the attitude was in place. 

“What do you mean? Have I died?”

“Oh, thissss is a _new_ technique I am trying out. It does not require a human ssssacrifice or the one summoned to be _dead_ ,” Orochimaru even explained as he poked and prodded. “Of you go now,” he finally waved his hand and Kabuto vanished. There was a lifeless bunny left behind in the circle.

━━━━━━━━━━

In the dead of night, Naruto and Kakashi traveled towards Orochimaru’s lair. It was too late to back out now. They waited for a year for a chance to speak with Sakura again. To ask her why she did what she did. Why she didn’t trust them.

“Naruto, are you sure this is the right thing to do?” Kakashi asked lost in his own thoughts.

“Yes. There will be no harm in asking. I just… I cannot live with myself like this. I should have known!” indeed the blond was still on edge. Guilt was a heavy burden to bear. Kakashi didn’t say anything else. After their first visit to the snake’s lair, he was conflicted if this was really a good idea.

Sakura chose death and they should honor her wishes, but… He had questions too. So he followed Naruto underground. ANBU agents were dismissed. The three of them were alone in the candlelight.

“So, you said it worked?” Naruto asked anxiously looking around.

“Well, yessss and no,” Orochimaru smirked arms crossed on his chest, hair loose like he used to wear it before the war. “The summoning works, I have… tesssssted it. But for some reason, Sakura-chan is not responding to my callllll for her soul.”

“What do you mean?” now Kakashi was worried. Was his students _soul_ in trouble? Another reason to reach her. To check on her… maybe, just like his father, she cannot move on.

“It is hard to say,” snake shrugged not really giving them the full truth.

“Then why did you call for us?” Naruto was losing his patience and quickly.

“I believe I worked around… the isssssue,” his words dripped with malice, but Kakashi didn’t want to think what Orochimaru did. No, he just wanted to make sure, that Sakura is okay now. Naruto thought differently.

“What did you do, Orochimaru?”

“Imagine a hook, that catches on to the target and brings it back,” Orochimaru’s explanation was vague. Naruto only exhaled and waved his hand for sannin to get started.

The man brought a fresh snow-white bunny from the back. The little one was placed right in the center of the room and surrounded by seals carefully painted on the ground. Orochimaru used a long array of different hand signs, before speaking the words of summoning.

Naruto and Kakashi both held their breaths as they stood beside Orochimaru. A poof of smoke was followed by a sense of familiar chakra filling the room. It was bright and soft… and cold, and dangerous. Then as Naruto blinked, he found a blade pointed to his neck.

“Sa-sakura?” he stammered as the smoke cleared and he saw… her? Pink hair was short and boyish-looking. Half of her face was covered in a mask, just like Kakashi’s. She looked younger, stronger… In both of her hands were blades covered in blood. Her second blade was pointed at Orochimaru’s neck.

“Well, fuck. Really, Naruto? I would never think you would stoop this low,” a familiar voice chastised him as Sakura put away her swords. Hands resting on her hips, her emerald eyes looked over the three of them.

“Sakura-chan…. You look… different,” Kakashi said earning a scoff from the girl. It really was her! But her manners… her behavior… it was just a bit off.

“Orochimaru, what did you do?” Naruto questioned the snake unsure if this was fake or not.

“Yes, Orochimaru, what _did_ you do?” green eyes bore into the man flaming anger was palpable.

“Mmm, Ssssakura-chan, you have been well I ssssee?” the snake ignored their questions as he eyed the girl with untamed curiosity.

“How long has it been?” Sakura asked looking around. She looked… tense. Like someone high on adrenaline. Come to think about it, she looked like just a second ago she was in a fight. But that could not be…

“Over a year,” Kakashi whispered.

“A year, huh?” she now crossed her arms and looked at the group of men in front of her with newfound disgust in her gaze. “So? You just thought it would be a great idea to bring me back _here_?”

“Sakura… why? Why didn’t you tell me anything?” Naruto approached her with teary eyes.

“Why? Ha. Now life, that’s the puzzle,” she rolled her eyes not too inclined to answer any questions. Looks like she had no intention of explaining herself. Kakashi was silent as he still studied her looks. Why was she with a mask?

“You are different, Sakura,” Naruto whispered reaching his hand towards her. The action was swatted away by Sakura’s own hand. Fast. She was much faster than before.

“Good.”

“How.. how are you?” Kakashi dared to ask. Her eyes darted in his direction at lightning speed. She didn’t bother to hide the anger in them. Copy-nin has never seen her like that…

“I was doing just _fine_ until you decided to drag me here. And for what? Huh? You want closure, huh? You want to feel better, huh? Ohh, poor you,” with each sentence she stepped closer to his direction. Her tone was mocking. Kakashi felt like he deserved it.

“What weeeere you doing before I summoned you?” Orochimaru looked at her with the same sly smile. Sakura smiled back at him. 

“Oh, wouldn’t you like to know?” she stepped closer to the snake changing the target of her anger. “You know, I have learned so much after my death. SO much,” she could see the need to know in Orochimaru’s eyes. Everyone could see it.

“Sakura! I am sorry! SO sorry!” Naruto called out for her, but she paid him no mind.

“Good for you,” she only whispered as she still was keeping her eye contact with Orochimaru. “Wanna hear about this technique I developed? It could easily kill everyone in this room. Wanna demonstration?” Sakura was different. She was… untamed. Like an animal out for blood.

“I’m afraid you will not do a thing unlessssss, I order you to,” Orochimaru reminded her about the rules of his summoning.

“Oh? Is that so?” Sakura smiled from what he could tell, as the mask hid her reactions well. It was her eyes that showed the manic glint. She was dangerous. 

Sakura raised her hand and rolled her fingers into a fist. With this small gesture, all three of the men felt like their bodies got paralyzed. Orochimaru’s eyes widened at the sensation. He could not move a muscle besides his tongue! 

“Extraordinary,” he mused.

“I always have been,” Sakura shot back, stepping closer to him.

“Sakura?” Naruto called for her. This conversation wasn’t going as he imagined. He never expected her to be so… mad. She had the right to be, but still. “Sakura, please. Talk with us!”

“Oh shut it, Naruto, because my patience is running low right now. But why am I even bothering with you? You have never shown respect to anyone but the tailed beasts,” resentment in her voice felt a hundred times worse, as the blond realized what she was talking about. “Have you ever thought for once how _I_ would feel brought back here? No, you haven’t,” she gave him one last glare before turning her eyes back to the sannin. 

“The funny thing is, that the only person in this room who cared how _I_ feel, was Orochimaru,” she chuckled leaving Kakashi and Naruto guessing what exactly was she talking about. The snake’s face was an unreadable poker face. 

“Sakura, I found you,” Kakashi started with hesitation. It was incredibly scary to lose all control in his body. The technique she used resembled in a way Nara clan shadow possession. Yet it was something else entirely.

“Good for you,” Sakura didn’t even look at him.

“Why are you hiding your face?”

“Hmmm, I think I finally understood, why you chose to wear a mask,” she answered casually sparing him only a single glance. He took it. At least better than nothing.

“Are you happy now?”

“I was,” the anger yet again seeped from her tone.

“How can you resist my seals?” Orochimaru couldn’t hold back anymore. He had to know how she broke his technique. The girl in front of him was the Sakura he imagined her to be. But this time it was not a fake shell, but a very real and angry kunoichi that held his life in her hands. It was thrilling.

“Ha! My soul belongs only to me and your will is nothing, compared to mine,” she answered her free hand slowly reaching to pull down her mask. Yes, underneath it was the same face. Younger, but it was still Sakura.

She leaned to his ear. Her voice was a low whisper meant only for him. “I am feeling generous, so I will say to you this - blood jutsu.” She pulled away carefully watching as his racing mind reflected in his eyes. “Have fun with that idea,” she winked.

“Naruto,” she turned to the blond boy. “If you ever dare to summon me again, I swear I will burn everything to the ground and make you watch. Leave. Me. Be.” She wasn’t joking. This was not an empty threat. Naruto believed she would do what she said. 

The pink-haired girl then turned to Kakashi. She paused for a moment. Considering her words. She really didn’t have to say anything else. Just by looking into her emerald eyes, Kakashi knew that he will never be forgiven. That he lost her a long time ago. That he wasn’t there when she needed it. That he was too late. That he never picked her, when it mattered. 

So she said nothing. Lastly, her eyes rested once more on Orochimaru.

“You are just too smart for your own good, Orochi-kun,” her voice was dangerously sweet as she spoke. “I warn you, that the next time you attempt to summon me, it will be your soul that will be taken away by the heralds of death and slaughter with a one-way ticket to the underworld.” 

Naruto and Kakashi had no idea what she was talking about, but Orochimaru didn’t question her. It even looked like he was for once holding back his tongue.

“I’m sparing you this one and only time. In respect to the time we shared,” the snake really hoped she wouldn’t continue with more details in front of Naruto. The boy could easily kill him now if he knew…

Instead of elaborating, Sakura did something considerably worse. She brushed her hand behind his neck and leaned in for a kiss. Of course, he had to respond to such a gesture, from memory and instinct alone. Even if his body could not move, his tongue relished in the connection. 

“I am not sssssure if Naruto will share your sssssentiment,” Orochimaru still grinned as she pulled away. He was almost ready to die by the Hokage’s hand. Almost. For now, the blond only stared in silence with big blue eyes stretched beyond what should be humanly possible.

“Fuck him,” she casually shrugged and stepped back. Her eyes made contact with Kakashi and Naruto for the last time.

“If I never see you again, it will be too soon. So let me fuckin’ rest in the fuckin’ peace.” Sakura spat the words in their direction and then vanished. The bunny left in her place hopped away to the corner of the room. It was still alive and well.

The three men felt the control of their bodies coming back to them. Kakashi didn’t waste any time in grabbing Orochimaru by the lapel of his shirt.

“Explain,” the gray-haired man growled out.

“What can I ssssay. Looks like Ssssakura-chan gained full control of her sooooouuul. There is nothing I can do about it,” it was easy for Orochimaru to admit it. For six months he was dealing with the idea, that Sakura’s soul was not simply dead. Her soul was out there. By the looks of it, she has been busy. Maybe he should take her offer and allow to be brought to the underworld with her? He might learn a thing or two there…

“Not. About. That. What. Time. Did. You. Two. Share,” Kakashi was almost shaking with controlled anger.

“Mmm, I wonder, what exact time was she referrrrrring to,” the snake pretended that he was in deep thought. He was taunting Kakashi. Blatantly and without any shame.

“Orochimaru, please, just say it. I am tired. And judging by Sakura’s words, you were the only one who cared, so I would like to know how exactly a person like you managed that,” Naruto spoke warily. He was tired. Sakura was in pain yet again because of him. He disrespected her even in death. Naruto felt like scum.

“Sakura-chan had… needssss. And I took care of them,” Kakashi pulled away from the man as if he was burned. There was clear disgust in his eyes. Orochimaru rolled his eyes. “Oh please. It’s not like sssshe was an innocent flowerrrr you imagine her to be.”

“Orochimaru, did you actually care?” Naruto looked into his snake-like eyes for an answer.

“Hmm. Care is sssssuch a strong word. Mmmm. But perhapssss, you could say it mattered to me whether she wassss feeling alright or not while she was in my carrrre.”

Naruto gave a weak nod and left. Kakashi hesitated but eventually followed his kage out. Orochimaru was finally alone contemplating what just happened. Well, he was still alive, so that’s one thing. His predatory eyes focused on the bunny. Slowly he picked up the furball.

“Hmmm but why are you still alive?” he said aloud looking over the creature. So many questions. So little time. There was also the matter of ‘blood jutsu’ Sakura mentioned to him. Orochimaru was positively charged. His hands itched to start working.

Yet again, Sakura Haruno managed to surprise him. To inspire him. To make him feel something besides the neverending emptiness. His lips still tingled from her kiss.

 _Sakura, Sakura, Sakura… until we meet again…_ he said in his mind a goodbye to the girl. For now.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright. I think this will be the last chapter looking into Sakura's past timeline.   
> Let me know in the comments if there is anything else from the past you would like me to explore! 😊


	31. Survivor

“NOOOOO!”

Like over a haze, Genma heard Shikamaru’s shriek. He had to get up. He had to open his eyes. The man willed his body to move. The memory of pain in his belly lingered, but he didn’t feel any discomfort as he pulled himself up. Saku. It had to be the boy who healed him.

Genma leaped towards the noise. He was just in time to grab the pink-haired boy’s body that was flung to the side from the impact with their target. He felt hot blood on his hands.

“Shit,” curses came out of his lips as panic threatened to take over him. Thankfully, Genma has been to war before. His mind quickly turned to autopilot as his hands laid Saku on the ground. Before anything, they had to eliminate the threat.

“I got him, captain,” he heard Shikamaru yell out. Without hesitation, Shiranui started to weave hand signs as he approached two figures that stood still.

“Seal!” he yelled out placing a palm on the enemy’s chest. Black lines spread across the target's body like chains bounding him in place. It was a technique often used to capture enemies if they were too hard to kill. The trick was, that the target had to be completely still until the jutsu is completed. 

It was done. The backup plan, Shikamaru told them before, worked. Without losing any more time, Genma took out two storage scrolls. Threw one to Nara and with the other, he sealed the body closest to him. Shikamaru did the same with the target that was already dead.

“Shikamaru! Take a soldier pill! We have to return to Konoha. Now!” he ordered following his own advice. His chakra reserves were instantly replenished.

Genma crouched next to Saku and checked his pulse. Weak but still there. The wound on the boy’s side was nasty. His body wasn’t healing as usual. Fuck. He leaned closer and checked if Saku was breathing next. He was. Then Genma placed his hand on Saku’s chest to check the boy’s heart. There was something off… 

“He’s alive, but we have to hurry,” Shiranui finally said, putting his mind back on track of the mission ahead.

The run back home was silent. They could not waste a single moment. Saku was bleeding out in his hands. The boy was unconscious, but at least his heart was still beating. Genma couldn’t sense any chakra withing him, meaning only one thing - chakra exhaustion.

There was another thing that bothered the man. Saku… he felt different. To be more precise, his physique felt different. Genma could swear there was something odd with the boy’s chest. But he was not a medic, so the only thing he could do was to bring the boy back home.

Without stopping, they ran through the village gate straight to the hospital. Reluctantly, he had to give the boy to the nurse’s care.

“What happened?” Shizune appeared already assessing a situation.

“He was hit by some unknown jutsu,” Shikamaru said. He looked pale with worry but held himself together far better than the last time his teammates were injured.

“Alright. Go, there is nothing you can do here,” Shizune waved them away as she rushed to the operating room where Saku was taken to.

Five minutes later, Genma and Shikamaru stood before Tsunade after they left the two storage scrolls within T&I headquarters.

“What happened?” Hokage said looking over their bloody and battered appearance.

“It was an ambush, Hokage-sama,” Genma started his report recalling the whole fight. “...and then I was impaled from behind and I lost consciousness.” He turned to Shikamaru for the boy to continue. 

“Saku made two clones to keep the targets busy as he healed Shiranui-san. I managed to take care of the one with the sword. Then… the other one attacked me... I had no time to dodge... And… Saku… he just appeared right in front of me and took the hit,” Shikamaru had a hard time speaking up. Obviously, the boy was feeling guilty.

“At that point, I regained consciousness and we sealed the remaining shinobi. Both bodies were sealed and delivered to T&I. Mission completed,” Genma finished for once being professional. In reality, he just wanted to get back to the hospital and check on Saku.

“Alright. Good job. You completed your objective and brought everyone home. Genma, I want you to go to the hospital to be examined for your injury. Healing on the field might not have fixed everything,” Tsunade ordered with a stern look eyeing the ripped part of his shirt. There wasn’t even a scar left.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Shizune, what’s the situation here?” Tsunade asked harshly as she entered the operating room to check on her fallen shinobi.

“Lady Tsunade! We managed to put the organs back together. It seems like the jutsu cut Haruno up imitating a blade…”

“And? What’s the status now?” she impatiently walked towards the bed where the pink-haired boy laid. Shizune didn’t really have to answer anymore. She quickly realized that the boy was in a coma.

“Coma, Lady Tsunade. Most likely from chakra exhaustion.”

“Right. I expected as much. The brat actually managed to fully heal Shiranui. That probably cost more than half of his chakra reserves,” Tsunade thought aloud as her glowing palm went over the teen’s body searching for any other damage.

“What the…”

“Lady Tsunade! There is…”

“I can fuckin’ see that! Why didn’t you call for me right away?!” she turned to her assistant with raging eyes.

“Well… we wanted to make sure that he… I mean _she_ is stable, before we talk to you…”

Yup. She could clearly see with her diagnostic technique, that Saku Haruno now had two healthy breasts and a full female reproductive system.

“How the FUCK did this happen?? What kind of jutsu could even do this?” she was really flabbergasted. There was no other word for the phenomenon.

“Well.. we checked, and we couldn’t find any traces of a jutsu or transformation…” Shizune answered carefully.

“Well, if it is not a jutsu... Then what the actual fuck?” Tsunade really needed a drink about now. A boy left her village and returned a girl. That just doesn’t happen.

“Mmm... Lady Tsunade?”

“Uch… don’t tell me there is more?” the blond closed her eyes trying to think of a logical explanation for this clusterfuck.

“Well… when we did our examination… we also found… well…”

“Out with it, Shizune!”

“See for yourself, Lady Tsunade,” Shizune inhaled sharply as she turned Saku’s limp body to the side and raised the hospital shirt up to reveal a back covered in scars. 

Hokage leaned close and carefully examined the marks. They were old. Edges raged like from something uneven. Torture maybe? But who would torture a child?

“Transfer Saku to ANBU sector. I want two guards posted at all times. And _no_ visitors,” she ordered Shizune as she quickly left back to the Hokage Tower.

Back in her office, Tsunade pulled up the Haruno file and looked closely over it. There was nothing odd there. The only odd thing about the kid was that he… she… was a civilian.

“Boar,” she called for her loyal ANBU who appeared before her in an instant.

“Check on Saku Haruno parents. Check if they by any chance could have been affected by a genjutsu or other brainwashing. Also, send an agent to Root HQ. Check if there are any records or photos of Haruno there.”

“Yes, Hokage-sama. Should we engage with Haruno parents directly?”

“Hmmm, only if you notice nothing is off. But make sure they don’t remember meeting you… you can ask if they ever had a daughter,” she decided quickly. Maybe it was too rash of her, but Haruno could be a spy planted by Danzo. Or maybe even Orochimaru. She couldn’t risk the safety of her village.

━━━━━━━━━━

Shikamaru anxiously paced in the hallway waiting for any news. Another teammate was hurt because of how weak he was. A big lump formed in his throat, but at least he didn’t cry this time. No, he had to make sure Saku was okay first.

“Shizune-san!” he called out to the woman as she appeared from a corner.

“Ahh, Shikamaru. You should go home and rest. Have you been checked out already?”

“How is Saku?” he didn’t even consider her question. There was only one thing on his mind.

“Haruno is stable now, but… in a coma.”

“Coma?” he stammered. 

“Yes. Chakra exhaustion. Give it a week or so,” the woman sighed, but there was something odd about the way she spoke.

“Can I visit him?”

“Mmm, no visitors. Lady Tsunade’s orders,” she shut him down and left right away. The boy was confused. On one hand, he was relieved, but on the other… there was something not right here. Why wouldn’t they let any visitors if Saku was stable? 

Shikamaru was getting desperate. He wanted to see his friend with his own eyes. To see him alive. To see him _not_ bleeding out. The image of Saku taking the hit was still fresh in his mind. He had to do something.

There was only one man he could ask for help. Someone, who would be as desperate as he was. Someone, who would break the rules in a heartbeat to see Saku. Someone by the name Hatake Kakashi.

━━━━━━━━━━

ANBU agent by the code name Boar was a veteran of shadow corps. Internal investigations were never easy when dealing with shinobi. So a civilian family looked like an easy mission. He henged into a bland-looking jonin and knocked right on Haruno household doors.

He already observed the house from afar. There were no traps or traces of genjutsu. So the only thing left was to check the target head-on.

“Yes?” an unamused woman by the name Mebuki Haruno opened the door.

“Good day, Mrs. Haruno. Hokage-sama sent me over to ask you a couple of questions,” the woman raised her eyebrow in a questioning manner, but it was not like she could refuse Hokage’s orders. So reluctantly he was allowed inside.

He waited for any questions or hospitality but received non of that.

“Ahem… how many children do you have?”

“One,” curt answer sounded cold. She was suspicious of him. 

“Saku Haruno, is that right?”

“Yes.”

“By any chance, did you ever have any daughters?” he was blunt, but it didn’t really matter as Mebuki will not remember anything afterward. To his surprise, a malicious smirk spread on the woman’s face.

“Ha. So you bunch finally figured it out, huh? Saku _is_ my daughter. Honestly, how can you even call yourself a ninja if you cannot figure that much? Pathetic,” he was taken aback by her harsh demeanor. Yet he sensed no lies in her words.

“I see… May I ask why Saku pretended to be of a different gender?”

“Who the hell knows what that brat was thinking. One day, she just cut her hair and announced it. And decided to be a _shinobi_ of all things. Stupid child, nothing but a headache,” she shook her head in disapproval. There was not an ounce of warmth towards her own flesh and blood. 

Without another word, Boar cast a genjutsu. Mabuki fell down caught in a deep sleep. He wouldn’t be ANBU if he didn’t check her mind if the words she said were true. Indeed, it turned out to be exactly as she said. There were no protections or barriers in her mind, so it was easy for Boar to peek inside her brain. Mission complete.

━━━━━━━━━━

Tsunade’s office door burst open as two figures rushed inside without a knock or a hello, for that matter. The blond sighed, putting down her pen. She expected them to show up sooner or later.

“We demand to see Saku!” Shikamaru spoke first. She sighed again placing her chin on her folded fingers.

“No.”

“Why is my student in the _special_ section of the hospital?” Kakashi asked far more composed than the young Nara by his side. The man obviously already tried to sneak in and failed to see his student. Unfortunately, he was also familiar with their ANBU sector and could probably guess that a person would not be sent there without there being complications. 

“Because I said so.”

“Hokage-sama, what is going on?” too bad, that Shikamaru had such a head on his shoulders, as he quickly caught on about there being more to this situation concerning Saku.

“Classified,” she gave short answers as it was the best way to go when faced by two of the cleverest shinobi in the whole Konoha. It would be pointless to lie in this case. And she did not want to give them any information yet.

“But…”

“All you need to know now is that Saku is healed and recovering from chakra exhaustion,” she deadpanned, her eyes looking stern to mark the end of this conversation. Kakashi and Shikamaru had no choice but to leave unless they wanted to disobey her direct orders of staying away.

When the door closed, Tsunade relaxed for a second before speaking.

“Boar. You have anything for me?” she asked, as she already recognized him waiting for ten minutes outside her window.

“Hokage-sama, mission complete. There were no traces of genjutsu or mind-altering jutsu on Mebuki Haruno. Kizashi Haruno is away on a trip. Mebuki Haruno confirmed that Saku Haruno is her daughter,” he reported back the whole conversation.

“I see… Oh, Boar, station two more ANBU around Haruno. I expect Kakashi will try something,” she had to admit it - the man will disobey her orders sooner or later.

“Yes, Hokage-sama.”

“And get Ibiki here,” what other choice did she have? If the parents were clear, it had to be Saku, who was brainwashed. With the initial examination, she didn’t find the trademark Root seal on the boy...girl. But the markings on her back… it was clear torture. So if it wasn’t Root it could only be someone from outside the village. She really didn’t want to deal with a Kabuto No. 2.

For now, they will have to wait for Saku to wake up. If she wakes up at all. Shizune’s report stated that chakra was slowly gathering in the teen’s body, but her brain activity showed no signs. Tsunade didn’t want to believe that Saku was a spy… Based on Genma’s report Saku saved their team… Sacrificed for Shikamaru… Yet, this could be a long game someone was playing using the boy… girl… as a pawn.

━━━━━━━━━━


	32. Torture & Interrogation

Sakura probably hasn’t cursed as much her entire existence. Those idiots dared to dragged her back into their world! She really should have cut them up for this… She should have yelled more… Should have at least punched them…

Now it was too late to regret the missed opportunity. Orochimaru was lucky, that her chakra ran out at the last second. For half a year she felt the random tugs to her core. Her soul. Now she knew, that it was Orochimaru who tried to call her.

Damn snake… Sakura sighed as her mind raced in the void that she was crossing over. It was hard to find her way back. Thankfully, raven elder Takai had taught her how to grasp the connection she had with her living body. It was like a thread. Blindly she grasped it between her imaginary fingers and tugged. She had no body or shape. She was just another blimp in an ocean of spirits.

Fuck Naruto. Damn selfish brat. Her anger had diminished over the years, but now it was back full force. Another reminder of why she did what she did. Another reason for her to strive further past her limits. They still didn’t give two shits how she feels.

Her destination was like a beacon of light in the endless darkness of the abyss she was in. So close! Just a bit more… She dove right into the light and felt how her soul slowly took shape again. A tingling sensation let her know, that she was back.

Her body felt tired and numb. Like she had lain there for days. Probably she had. Carefully, Sakura spread her senses. She wasn’t alone in the room, but the sense of Konoha was there. So their team made it back home. Relief washed over her.

Carefully her eyes fluttered open.

She was in a hospital room without any windows. Ahh, so ANBU sector, she guessed. There were two masked agents inside the room and two more outside the door as far as she could sense. Excessive much? Was this for her safety, or others, Sakura couldn’t tell just yet.

As she turned her head, Sakura caught a glimpse of one masked agent disappearing in a shunshin. Probably to notify the staff that she was finally awake. Her chakra circled around her body looking for any leftover injuries. Looks like she was healed…

Oh… Her eyes noticed before her chakra did - there were two distinctive bumps on her chest. Well fuck. Looks like her transformation fell apart when her chakra was exhausted. Now the whole ANBU sector and masked guards made more sense. 

They knew. They knew she was a fraud. Sakura claused her eyes again as her mind raced. She had to come up with an excuse… how to explain this… Maybe they knew _everything_ by now. Shit. Sakura didn’t have were to run and hide. She couldn’t put her transformation back either. It was pointless now. They knew… Her judgment day was here. She will have to face her disgrace… she will have to… 

Sakura let out a shaky breath. She didn’t want her life to end just yet. Funny, how one’s perspective can change after experiencing death first hand.

In a moment the door to her room opened. Sakura recognized the chakra that stepped inside. Here comes her executioner in flesh. It was time to face the music. She inhaled and opened her eyes to see Tsunade at the ned of her bed.

“Finally awake, Haruno,” tone was cold and serious. 

“How long?” Sakura’s voice was hoarse from not being used.

“Eight days.”

“Genma-san? Shikamaru?” she asked.

“Both alive and well. Thanks to you it seems.”

“Good,” Sakura exhaled easier and closed her eyes with relief. At least one less thing to worry about.

“Now that you are awake, there is a lot for us to talk about, Haruno.”

“Mmm,” only now did Sakura notice that her voice was no longer low. It was her true voice. The feminine tone felt nice to her ears. It has been a while. 

“You will be taken to T&I for questioning. I would appreciate it if we all could be civil about it.”

“Yes, Hokage-sama.”

Sakura was allowed to dress before ANBU guard teleported her to the depths of Konoha’s torturing headquarters. She was left alone in a questioning room. Two chairs with a table between them. And a one-way mirror. Sakura sat down and waited.

━━━━━━━━━━

This was not how Ibiki imagined having Haruno in T&I. He carefully watched the pink-haired _girl_ inside the interrogation cell. She was calm as a cucumber. Too calm considering the situation. Suspicion only grew within his mind. This behavior was not normal.

Shortly Lady Tsunade joined him with Inoichi following closely behind her.

“So, _now_ can anyone tell me what is this about? Oh…” Yamanaka stopped in his tracks as he noticed who was detained behind the glass.

“Some things came to light about Saku Haruno,” Tsunade began. “First, Saku is a girl that successfully fulled the best of jonin in Konoha,” this was obviously a shock to the clan head. With wide eyes, he did a double-take on the teen. Looks like he finally noticed the obvious physical difference.

“Second, this…” Tsunade handed him a picture of Saku’s back. Scars clearly capture on the piece of paper. “Your job is to find out why. Where the scars came from. Why the gender change. Who is behind it,” Hokage explained implying that there might be someone pulling the strings.

“Understood, Hokage-sama,” Inoichi was no fool. This was serious and he was a professional in his trade. Despite the teen being someone he knew, there was a job to be done.

Inoichi took a moment to compose himself before entering the room. He took the empty seat in front of Saku. For a while, they just looked at each other’s eyes.

“You understand why I am here?” he asked. Saku gave him a small nod in response. “It will be best if you don’t fight me,” he suggested with a more gentle tone. There was no need to be harsh here. That’s why Ibiki was here. Saku gave another nod. 

“Alright, let us begin then,” he said making hand signs. Saku didn’t struggle and Inoichi was allowed into _her_ mind without trouble.

Yamanaka found himself in a very similar place to the room he was just in. There was a table. Two chairs. He sat in front of Saku. And there was eternal darkness around them. What a bleak mind, he thought looking around.

“I need to know why you deceived us and where your scars came from,” he said hoping that the teen will continue to cooperate. He really didn’t want to pull information by force.

Saku tilted her head to the right and he followed her gaze. Ah, there was a shelf with a single mirrored box on it. Very textbook way of compartmentalization. He encountered this exact sight many times as he dealt with shinobi suffering from suppressed trauma.

“I will stay here if you don’t mind,” Saku whispered. He didn’t mind.

Inoichi stood up and opened the box, checking beforehand for any traps or barriers. Just as expected, inside were memories. Taking a deep breath he submerged into the life of Saku Haruno that was locked away from even her own mind.

━━━━━━━━━━

Kakashi burst through the door, with his sole eye blazing.

“What is the meaning of this, Hokage-sama?” he quickly took in the two people who stood in front of the glass and then two others that were in the other room.

“Kakashi! How the hell did you get in here?” Tsunade wasn’t happy, but not too surprised either.

“I have my ways. Why is my student down _here_?” if Yamanaka was with Saku it only meant one thing - mind interrogation. But what could they want from Saku? Tsunade sighed heavily rubbing her temples already.

“I wanted to call for you _after_ this, but if you are already here, you might as well answer some questions for us too…” she handed him a picture. Kakashi blinked.

“What is this?”

“Haruno’s back. Marks of torture. Do you know anything about it?” it was Ibiki who asked, but Kakashi still stared in disbelief.

“This has to be a mistake. I have never seen these marks on his back!”

“ _Her_. Her back. Saku Haruno is a girl,” Tsunade added making him completely lost for words. Was this some kind of joke?

“No.”

“Yes, Hatake. I examined her myself. Her _disguise_ disappeared when she reached chakra exhaustion on her last mission.”

“How?” Kakashi couldn’t speak in full sentences at this moment.

“That is what we are trying to figure out now,” Tsunade sighed and turned her eyes back to the pair in the other room.

━━━━━━━━━━

After long two hours, Inoichi finally dropped his hands from the seal he was holding. His blank stare avoided Saku’s eyes. He slowly stood up. Moves mechanic and stiff, he exited the room. When the door closed behind his back, Inoichi grabbed his mouth and hurried to empty the content of his stomach into a trash can. 

Cold sweat was dripping down his face. Someone handed him a bottle of water. Urgently he drank it up.

“So…? How bad is it?” Tsunade was the one who asked. He recognized her voice. Closing his eyes, Inoichi tried to steady his breathing.

“The worst…” he muttered. 

“Who’s behind it?! What village?” she asked with urgency. Yamanaka clan head wanted to get drunk. He wanted to cleanse his mind from the things he experienced. Sickness was inching again up his throat.

“Konoha,” he answered looking up. A couple of years ago, they all would be shocked to hear such a statement. But now… now they all knew better. Inoichi wasn’t even surprised to see Kakashi there too. 

“Root?” Ibiki asked.

Inoichi feared, that if he opened his mouth, the water he just drank would be barfed up, so he shook his head slightly in response. Tsunade’s eyebrows were scrunched.

“What? Then who?? Inoichi, show us what you saw!” she demanded in her kage voice.

“Kakashi, you should leave,” Inoichi suggested as he mentally prepared to relive everything all over again.

“No.”

“Trust me, Kakashi. You don’t want to see _that_...”

“I am staying. That is my student there,” copy-nin was determined. Well, he tried to warn him. If Tsunade allowed him to stay, Inoichi could not object anymore. He simply didn’t have any strength left to argue.

“Let’s get this over with,” Tsunade said as she stepped closer to Yamanaka. Ibiki and Kakashi followed her example and placed their hands on Inoichi’s back. With the contact, he could share the memories as if they themselves were looking in.

“It will be from Saku’s perspective. You will not only see and hear. You will feel it too,” he explained giving the last chance for any one of them to back off. “Alright, when I start you will have to wait it out till the end.”

“Alright. Inoichi, show us where the scars came from,” Tsunade suggested unaware that that was the least problematic part of Saku’s memories. Inoichi nodded and activated his jutsu.

A memory took shape in their minds. It morphed until an enraged Mebuki Haruno came to view.

_STUPID CHILD! WHAT DID YOU DO????... YOU LOOK LIKE A BOY!_

The yelling didn’t give them any emotion. Until Kizashi Haruno stepped into the picture. A distinctive sense of fear could be felt by all of them. Surprise. Pain as the man grabbed Saku by the hair.

_You had such pretty hair…_

The man’s voice brought a shiver to their backs. And then it became clear. Scenes one after another showed how Kizashi beat her up. The smell of alcohol overwhelming their senses. Pain. And the relief when it was over.

_If you wanna look like a boy, I am gonna treat you like one, you little shit. You should have never touched your hair, Sa-ku-ra..._

Another memory came into focus. More pain from her arm being twisted by Kizashi. The feeling was raw. Yet, mixed in it they felt determination and stubbornness. 

Then another rapid flash of memories. Her leaving her home with a shinobi level of stealth. Training in the forest. Reading books. Healing her new injuries left by Kizashi. All would be normal if not for the instances of abuse they all had to experience from her eyes. The choking. The insults.

Looks like some time passed as they all looked from her eyes into Kizashi’s face. 

_So, brat, you joined the academy?... When were you planning on sharing that?... You dare to go over my head and be a ninja now? Huh?_

Another wave of pain, but it was getting duller over time. Or maybe they all just got used to it just like Saku did.

_You wanna die?... You die when I tell you to…_

And then their question was answered. Each lash they felt as if it was done to them. Again and again. Blood spattered around. Blinding pain. 

_Haruno, where were you yesterday?... Well, this old lady asked to help her with groceries, so I just could not leave her alone…_

Iruka’s face came into view. Saku was filled with shame as she lied. Shame, disgust, and anger. 

There were more blurred memories that followed. Her being choked by the belt. Beaten again. And again. Until finally the four of them snapped back.

“Shit…” Ibiki muttered.

“You weren’t kidding…” Tsunade exhaled glancing at the glass. Saku hasn’t moved an inch since the last time she looked.

“ _That_ was not the worst part…” Inoichi said barely audibly. Three pairs of eyes snapped back at him. What could be worse was the unsaid question they all had.

“Alright. Show us the rest. Why she cut her hair,” Tsunade ordered. In the back of the mind, she already started to put a picture together. She was a woman and therefore more quickly realized what Inoichi was talking about. But they had to see for themselves.

For the second time, they all were taken to Saku’s memories.

The four of them were looking into the darkness of the night from Saku’s eyes. The moon was shining bright. They all felt Saku’s tension. Fear. The sound of closing doors. Feeling of nausea as someone stroked her hair.

_Maaa, what beautiful hair you have, princess…_

The voice brought shivers to all of them. Feeling of cold air on their skin as the covers were pushed down. They all felt it. The pain. The hurt. It was choking. 

_What a good girl…_

That voice sent another wave of disgust. It lasted for what seemed to be hours. The scent of alcohol was mixed with sweat. Saku shivered and so did all of them. As the girl got up they all felt her pain. Disgust. Sickness. Then… they saw her reflection. Another tsunami of emotions - disappointment, nausea, anger. Anger was suffocating and all-consuming. 

Mirror in front of them cracked from the brush Saku flung at it. More rage. Then her hair fell to the floor. Words of the man echoed around them.

_...what beautiful hair you have...what beautiful hair you have…_

_...Saku. My name is Saku now…_

Another memory came to their minds. Saku stealthily changing records in the hospital. 

Then another memory, far later in life. Kakashi was surprised to recognize the feeling of his own chakra via Saku. Ah, yes, this was the time he watched her before taking team7.

_Yo. Why are you stalking me, shinobi-san?... So, am I in trouble or something?... Okey, I won’t tell anyone about your peeping if you stop watching me sleep, deal?..._

They felt her anxiety. Worry. Fear. And then sudden relief when Kakashi disappeared.

_Well well well… congratulations, little shit, you’re a ninja now…_

They all shivered from the voice. From his touch. This fear was nothing compared to the one they felt just a moment ago while facing Kakashi.

_You might be taking Hokage’s orders from now on, but don’t ever forget that you belong to me, Sa-ku-ra… My my, how have you matured, Sa-ku-ra…_

They all shivered from Kizashi’s touch. There was a pinch of regret. They couldn’t tell what Saku regretted, but the feeling was there.

_Don’t pretend, kid. I know you like it… Just listen to how wet you are. Your body is begging for it. You are asking for it… That’s it, baby. Such a goooood girl you are… Daddies little girl. That’s it. You belong to me…_

Pain. Shame. Hesitation? Yes, they felt her react to the man’s words at that moment. Doubt herself. Then a twisted sense of pleasure mixed with pain. It was so overwhelming, that they almost felt like the whole world was slipping around them.

Unfortunately, the memories didn’t stop there.

_When I tell you to come, you come!... Come. Get it?... so don’t you start with your attitude, Sa-ku-ra… Are you even listening?... Still not talking, huh? Well, we’ll just have to make another use of your pretty little mouth…_

Bitterness. Disgust. Shame. Puke.

_You okay, pinky?... I am fine. Are you okay, sensei?..._

With those last words, they all got back. There was tense silence around them. Even Ibiki looked pale. Kakashi was shivering as killing intent of his filled the room. 

“Kakashi! Pull yourself together,” Tsunade ordered. She was the calmest of them all, but there was a trace of rage in her eyes too.

“I should have stopped it…” Hatake growled.

“We still don’t know if these memories are even real,” she tried to reason. The look Inoichi gave her spoke louder than words. The memories were as real as they come. “We have to confirm it before we do anything…”

“I will do it,” there was no room to reason with the copy-nin. His eyes were set to kill. “I know Saku’s manners. I will henge into her and _confirm_.”

Tsunade exhaled rubbing her temples.

“Morino, go with him. I don’t want bloodshed,” she said before Kakashi could leave. Both men left and Tsunade cursed under her breath. This was indeed the worst any of them could have imagined.

━━━━━━━━━━


	33. Bloody Truth

“Inoichi… tell me why…” Tsunade exhaled looking back at Saku behind the glass. The blond could not comprehend why a child of such skills put up with all of _that_... So much pain and hurt. No one person should experience that much.

“Lady Tsunade, did you notice in her memories, how she would be paralyzed with fear?”

“Yes, but still! She is a shinobi, for Kami’s sake! Not once did she hesitate on a mission.”

“Yes, but that was not a mission. It was her flesh and blood.”

“Bull shit!” Tsunade was ready to flip a table. It didn’t make sense.

“Have you never had a fear that strong and irrational?”

Well fuck. That she did. A not long time ago, she, the Legendary Sannin, a renowned medic, was terrified of blood. She would get paralyzed from fear. Very much like Saku. How could she blame the girl after remembering her own trauma and pain? She couldn't. The two of them experienced pain that made birth to irrational fear. She wasn't so different from the teen, after all.

“Trauma at such a young age left an impact,” Yamanaka explained.

“Well fuck. How can she go on missions?”

“Compartmentalization.”

“Shit. And I sent her on those seduction missions, too, that couldn’t be good for her?”

“Probably not. But Saku has a clear distinction between her home life and shinobi missions. So far, it was separate and allowed her to perform despite… despite her situation.”

“For now?”

“Well… now that we unsealed her secrets… it is hard to tell how it will affect her. The shame, the guilt, and sense of weakness could break her completely.”

“Fuck.”

“Mhm.”

“Alright, you are dismissed, Inoichi. I hope I don’t have to tell you that everything that happened here is classified,” she looked over the blond man with a stern gaze. Rumors would probably spread either way, but she had to at least try and preserve some dignity for the young teen. Kami knows she suffered enough.

Yamanaka bowed and hurried to leave. He was shaken by what he had seen, just like all of them. Tsunade exhaled left alone. Now she, as the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf village, will have to make a decision. A decision that will impact Saku’s carrier as a Leaf shinobi.

Sure, Saku Haruno showed great potential. Her disguise technique managed to fool the whole village. Not to mention the infiltration skills she showed and her resilience to literal torture. Saku could be used in many ways. And then there were her official records. Great strength, healing abilities, clever head. An exemplary shinobi by all accounts.

Tsunade could really use a nin like Saku. She really could just ignore the obvious mental trauma the girl had and use her… But that could lead to the girl breaking completely. 

As if she didn’t have enough troubles to think about already. There was Orochimaru with his sound-nin. Then the whole Akatsuki group, that even Jiraiya struggled to infiltrate. Danzo that escaped and was doing who knows what kind of shady business now. And now this… a prodigy with a lifetime of pain and suffering on a verge of a mental breakdown.

Tsunade walked to the doors and locked them. She made a couple of seals to activate barriers against anyone listening in or trying to spy in other ways. She had to talk with the girl before making her decision, Tsunade told herself that, even though, deep down, she already had made her choice. In the end, in the big picture, it will be for the best of the Village... Right?

Sealing her emotions, Hokage entered the interrogation room and sat down in front of Saku.

“You broke many rules. You deceived fellow Konoha nin,” she started trying to catch the teen’s gaze. Emerald eyes looked tired and empty. “No one will trust you again.”

The harsh truth was in her words. But… it had to be said. Tsunade didn't want to coddle the girl or pity her. If not her, someone else would eventually blurt it out. So better it was her, the Hokage. Saku didn't show any emotion. By now, Tsunade knew better than to believe the stone-cold poker face. She knew, that even with such a face, there were a lot of emotions boiling inside the girl's head. A true master in concealment. Blond acknowledged Saku's capabilities at this point.

"What happens now?" the teen asked carefully.

"Now, we talk about your future."

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura expected to be more concerned. She expected to at least tremble in fear of what will come next. But she just felt empty. Just how much did they know already? They… her friends and comrades. They knew her secrets now… Sakura felt exposed.

“You understand why I am here?”

Ah. Yamanaka. Of course. They could no longer trust a word she said, so here comes another clan person to take charge with his _amazing_ dojutsu. She nodded. Yes, Sakura knew why he was there. He will be the one to invade her mind. To discover her lies.

“It will be best if you don’t fight me.”

Was there a point to fight him? He will get his answers either way. Sakura gave another nod. There really was no point in fighting. She felt helpless just like when facing her father. There was no way out. No escape. She just had to endure. 

“Alright, let us begin then.”

Sakura felt her mind being invaded by his chakra. It was easy to let him in. She hid all her secrets in the darkness. Okay, maybe she won’t make it _that_ easy for him to crack her. Kami, she felt like an enemy. Interrogated by her own comrades… it hurt. It felt like she was being stabbed right to the chest. She would rather be actually stabbed, than this.

“I need to know why you deceived us and where your scars came from.”

Oh. So they didn’t know anything yet? Sakura considered her options for a moment. Inoichi without a doubt will know if she is lying. So she had to show him her real memories. But… it wasn’t like he wanted to see her _whole_ life just yet. Nop, he just wanted to know where she got her scars… That much she could show him. 

Sakura tilted her head to the right where a shelf with a single mirrored box on it materialized. Her darkest moments of this life were locked away there. Yet, it had nothing from her past life. There were also no instances of meeting Itachi or Orochimaru as she never felt threatened by them. They never _hurt_ her. 

“I will stay here if you don’t mind,” she whispered. She had to stay away. Otherwise, Inoichi probably will be able to tell that something is off by the way she can stay calm and collected.

Surprisingly, her little plan worked! Yamanaka didn’t even say another word when he returned from looking into her memories. Wow. Even without a disguise she still could fool them all. Sakura felt pleased with herself. She felt a shred of pride even. She was smarter than all of them. Ha! She fooled the _great_ Yamanaka clan.

━━━━━━━━━━

Kakashi walked down the street at a slow pace. Every muscle in his body was tense. Mind blank. Eye not blinking. This is a mission, he repeated the mantra in his head. Mission. Mission. Mission. Fuck the mission. He wanted to rip a certain man into shreds. 

Maybe it would be different if he only heard about it… but now, after feeling everything that Saku felt… His precious student… He vowed to protect them. It was his duty. He failed. How could he have been so blind?

The signs were there. The way Saku avoided physical contact. Random buses and small scars. To be fair, he only saw that one mark on _her_ neck. Now he knew where it came from… The sickening feeling of being choked still lingered in his memory.

He felt Ibiki trailing not far behind. If anyone could stop him now, it surely was not Morino. Kakashi was faster. He was stronger. Yet he still failed Saku… 

Near the civil district, he henged into his student. Remembering how Saku entered her own home through the window, he did exactly the same. It was the first time he visited her room. Oh, Kami. His keen nose instantly recognized the scent of old blood. Looking around he noticed small traces of it left on the walls and ceiling. Undeniable proof of what he saw in her memories. 

Deep down, Kakashi wanted to be proven wrong. He wanted the memories to be fake, but the more he looked around, the more his denial shrank. There was the smashed mirror, covered loosely with a scarf. Little nicks and scratches on the floor.

Carefully, he traced a finger over one mark on the wall. This is where Saku’s head was bashed to… His fingers trembled. Ibiki was perched just outside the window, camouflaged with the environment. No civilian would ever spot him.

Kakashi sat on the bed and froze. This… this is where it all began. As if burned, he jumped up. It made him sick to realize, that Saku had to return to this room every day. Remember everything that happened here. And then experience it all over again. He finally sat on the floor instead and waited.

After three hours of stillness, someone walked inside the house through the front door. Kakashi opened his eye and sniffed the air. Alcohol & sweat. Jaw clenched, he waited some more. Shortly a door opened to Saku’s room. 

“So, you finally decide to show up here?” Kizashi scoffed looking him over. The man was mildly intoxicated, but he seemed to orientate well enough as he stepped closer. “Still with the fuckin’ attitude?” he sneered as Kakashi didn’t respond. Copy-nin barely could contain himself.

“Ooohhh, are we glaring now?” the man chuckled with mirth and leaned closer. “Aww, did you miss me already?” Kizashi’s hand weaved into the pink hair. The feeling was oddly familiar as just hours ago he felt this action from Saku’s memories. Then the man’s grip tightened tilting the small head up.

“What do they even teach you, huh? You disrespectful, brat,” he pulled the hair up making Kakashi stand up. “It’s always left to the parents…” the man mumbled. It seemed like the mood changed. Anger flickered in Kizashi's eyes. Quickly, for a civilian, he grabbed Kakashi’s neck and pressed the small body to the wall. He placed one knee between ‘Saku’s’ legs. 

“Why don’t you be a gooood girl, Sa-ku-ra, and please me, you little whore. I know you like it,” he whispered into Kakashi’s ear. The blood was boiling within the man, but with a miracle, he didn’t react. He could clearly recall, how Saku would freeze up in such a position. Why didn’t she fight back? Why… Kakashi didn’t know. To be fair, he was too shocked to react, too.

“Are you wet already? I bet you are,” the hand on his neck loosened and inched to push the mask down. The man’s other hand reached between his legs. This was it. Kakashi couldn’t hold back any longer. His stomach was turning, rage spilling out with the killing intent he omitted. Slowly, he clenched his fingers over Kizashi's wrist.

“What the…” Kizashi muttered in surprise stepping away from him. Kakashi’s form morphed until his henge was completely dispersed. With controlled strength, copy-nin grabbed Haruno and in a blink of an eye, the man was now pressed to the wall face first by the neck. Still holding on to the man's wrist, Kakashi bent it. Slowly. Kizashi yelped in pain.

One twist and the man could be dead. Copy-nin barely could control his own grip.

“...” there was much Kakashi wanted to say, but no words came out. Only a feral growl.

“Hatake, step down,” it was Ibiki’s voice behind him.

“...” Kakashi didn’t move. He was so close to killing Kizashi… With one push of his fingers, the man... no, the monster could be dealt with.

“I said, pull away. We got what he came here for,” Ibiki’s voice was stern, but the man didn’t hurry to intervene. Kakashi groaned. He had to obey orders. He had to… fuck it. With the same measured strength, he bashed Kizashi to the wall. Just once. Then stepped away panting. Kakashi almost felt like he couldn’t breathe.

“He’ll get what he deserves,” Ibiki said stepping in between the two. Without another word, Morino took hold of Kizashi and disappeared. Kakashi still couldn’t breathe. Why? Why? … He fell to the floor on all fours. As adrenaline was still pumping in his veins, Kakashi could not get rid of the smell of Saku’s blood all around him. The stench of sweat and alcohol.

He had to get away. Barely conscious, Kakashi sunshine back to his apartment. He never imagined, that _not_ killing someone could turn out to be so hard. Struggling for a moment to draw blood, he summoned his dog pack.

“What’s up, boss! Boss?” Pakkun inched closer with concern in his voice. They knew something bad has happened. Kakashi was like this only after extremely rough missions. Without another word, the pack nestled around him on the floor. Kakashi started crying. Uncontrollable sobs came out as if he was a kid again.

Saku never cried. She never complained. She never disobeyed. She was much stronger than him. She was... She was just a kid. A child left alone with a monster. Growing up with torture and abuse. Growing up without love or care. His heart was breaking.

His favorite student was in pain for so long and he didn’t notice. How could he call himself a shinobi after this? How could he look her in the eyes after this?

He was a failure. He didn’t even kill the man, who… who… Kakashi couldn’t get the images out of his head. The little girl being abused will haunt him for the rest of his life.

━━━━━━━━━━

Ibiki almost ran into Tsunade, who was leaving the interrogation room.

“Oh, Lady Tsunade, you are still here?”

“Just finished speaking with Saku,” she said and looked him dead in the eyes. It probably wasn’t the easiest conversation to have, he guessed.

“We detained Kizashi Haruno. It is safe to say, that the memories were correct,” with bitterness he reported to the Hokage. Over the years Ibiki has seen a lot. He tortured hundreds of people. Shinobi and civilian. Even some kids. That was his job. But he would never stoop that low… to abuse a child like _that_. 

“Shit… I really hoped that it would be all an elaborate ploy,” the blond sighed heavily. “Take me to him,” she ordered. Ibiki obeyed. This will be a long day.

━━━━━━━━━━

Only when Tsunade left the room, Sakura let out a shaky breath. It was hard to stay composed while Hokage spoke. Every word and accusation was like another stab with that same knife that was in her heart. Of course, the woman was not wrong, but still. And the choice that was given her... it was easy for Sakura to pick. She wanted to be a shinobi. She _was_ a Konoha shinobi and she will do anything to complete a mission. Even if that meant no longer hiding behind the boyish facade.

At least, it was implied that her father's doings will stay classified. Along with everything they just spoke about. Not like anyone was taking notes of it in the first place. Sakura had a sneaking suspicion, that Tsunade will deny their conversation ever happened or the Yamanaka interrogation for that matter. It was a small relief, but at least something. 

But what happens now? Sakura wondered staring at the grey wall in front of her. Will they just leave her here? Will she have to escape on her own? Tsunade only said, that officially her position will be decided after a council meeting in a month. For now, she was taken off the active roster. 

The door opened once more. It was Ibiki Morino. Hmm, maybe they realized that she had more secrets?

"Let's go kid," the man said in a husky voice. He didn't avoid her eyes. He didn't pity her. He was just calm. Sakura appreciated it for now. As he was not torturing her yet. She stood up and followed him outside. They walked for a while in a maze of bland corridors. There were guards in grey uniforms posted once in a while. Eventually, the two of them got to the ground level. Huh, so she was just let go...? Just like that?

Sakura blinked surprised but didn't comment. She might as well count her blessings. What confused her even more, was that Ibiki continued to walk leading her outside... She was lost. Maybe they are kicking her out of the village? Nothing really made sense anymore.

"You live here from now on," Ibiki finally spoke as they stopped in front of a small apartment building in the shinobi district. He even handed her a key. Sakura openly stared at him. What was she supposed to say? Thank you? Why? No? Yes? Ah, her head hurt. She didn't feel like she was deserving of this _kindness_.

"Thank you?" she settled for that. Ibiki rolled his eyes.

"Listen, kid, I won't lecture you. But you know you can trust your comrades?"

"Yes?"

"So if _something_ happens, you should tell someone."

"Oh..." Sakura looked away. Really, did he think it was that easy? First, who would believe her? Second, why on earth would she admit how pathetic and weak she is? Third, she... she just couldn't bear anyone knowing. Now four people knew and it was as horrible as she imagined it to be.

"Alright. Don't do anything _stupid_ ," Ibiki added before leaving. She had a hunch that by 'stupid' he meant something self-destructive. Well, too late for that. She exhaled and turned back to the building.

Home sweet home.

━━━━━━━━━━


	34. Slipping

Door 404. Sakura opened it and stepped into her new home. It was a small standard shinobi apartment. Probably built sometime after Orochimaru’s attack. There were bare necessities inside. Sakura should feel safe here. But she didn’t.

Senses extended, she noticed two beating hearts nearby, but no chakra signature. ANBU it is. So Tsunade ordered them to watch her even now. A clear sign of distrust. She sighed. It felt like she was awake for days rather than hours. She felt so tired.

Without undressing, the girl found her new bedroom and laid on the bed. No matter how paranoid she was, sleep came to her easily. Her tired eyes closed. One day at a time. She will think about her problems tomorrow.

━━━━━━━━━━

The next morning Sakura woke up early as always. Instinctively, she tried to check for her parents, just to be reminded, that they were not here. Right. New home.

She desperately needed a shower since she was still wearing the clothing given to her at the hospital. The regular issue pants and long sleeve shirt. Her clothing was not here. Her things weren’t here either. Sakura stood up. She will have to go back... there.

Sealing her emotions away, the girl left. For a second there she wanted to jump out the window, but there was no need for that now. For the first time in years, she left her home through the door. Strange sensation to hear the door shut behind her without a worry of waking anyone up.

As she ran over the rooftops to the civilian district, she felt the same two heartbeats trail not far behind her. Well, maybe not the same two masks from yesterday. It was hard to tell by heartbeat alone. Either way, the view of Haruno home, made Sakura stop.

She considered for a moment and then decided to enter through the front door. Silent shinobi steps allowed her to sneak upstairs without making a sound. In her old room, Sakura tried not to linger as the memories threatened to come back.

With a couple of storage scrolls and a backpack, she gathered her things. Some books, scrolls, clothing, toiletries… She hesitated to take the Team 7 picture, but eventually, it also was placed into her storage scroll. It probably would look suspicious if she left it behind. Now that she is being watched so closely, Sakura controlled her actions even more closely.

Suddenly, Mebuki bust into the room. Her face was flushed and her eyes blazing.

“YOU!? What did you do, stupid child???”

“...”

“It wasn’t enough for you to steal Kizashi from me, you had to get rid of him completely now that he no longer satisfied you???!! You ratchet whore!” Sakura was lost. She was sure she didn’t do anything… oh. If the Hokage saw her memories, then…

Mebuki was about to slap her right in the face when an ANBU agent appeared between them grabbing Mebuki’s wrist. Sakura blinked a couple of times. Then the two simply vanished in a shunshin leaving her even more confused.

This was odd. There was only one mask left watching over her. She didn’t know how to feel about it. Sakura stood like that for another moment and then left with her things. Whatever... Whatever! Who cares? She doesn’t care. Nop. Not at all.

Walking across the village, Sakura stopped again. Really. Who cares? If her secret is out now… she might as well embrace it. So on her way _home_ Sakura stopped by a clothing store. She got herself a skirt, some dark shorts, and tshirts. And a blouse with wide sleeves. This will be convenient to hide her senbons in and to hide the hand signs she will make.

Back at her apartment, Sakura took a long hot shower. Then she dressed in her new attire. Looking in the mirror she could barely recognize herself. Yes, her mask was still in place, but it was strange to see her feminine figure out in the open like this. Clearly visible curves. Huh, looks like hard training didn't do anything bad for her breasts as she thought in her past life. What actually prevented her from training too much and rather focusing on her appearance.

Then Sakura noticed, that she no longer had her headband… Tsunade did mention, that her official position as a Konoha shinobi will be under consideration with the council. It was odd. She also missed her swords. Those, she did not want to part with.

After long deliberations, the girl gathered all her courage and went to the hospital. She was right. The nurse in the reception kindly brought her things. Swords, vest, and even her headband. She felt mild relief clenching the metal plate in her palm. Shortly it was tied back around her neck.

Thanking again the nurse, Sakura left feeling a bit like her old self. With the headband in place, she noticed random people glancing at her. By people, she meant shinobi. Some jonin and genin took note of her hair, mask, headband… Sakura ignored the looks and locked herself away in the apartment.

One day at a time.

It was enough of walking around for today. Enough of her being in the open. She closed her eyes and meditated. Calm and collected. She had to think of a plan…

━━━━━━━━━━

Another day passed and she no longer could stand being locked away. Her body itched to train again. She was not on active duty, but nobody said she couldn’t train.

Sakura ended up in her usual training spot. ANBU still watched over her from a distance, meaning that she could not practice blood jutsu or test her Yin seals. Swords it is.

“Pinky! Here you are! Alive finally…” Genma stopped ten feet away from her speechless. His senbon was close to falling out of his gaping mouth.

“Yo,” she greeted him casually.

“Shit… please tell me you are practicing a new henge?”

“Nop.”

Sakura patiently waited. Over the time spent alone in her apartment, she had more than enough time to think over what to do when facing her teammates. They will need time to adjust. It’s good that she was patient. 

“Fuck me! So the rumors _are_ true, then?? You _are_ a girl?”

“Yup.”

“The fuck, pinky? Why didn’t you tell me?” Genma took it pretty well all things considered.

“You… didn’t ask?” she offered. The man blinked and started laughing.

“Fuuuck. Genius!” he panted. Then he did a double-take and even made a circle around her. He whistled. “Damn. Tell me, in how much trouble are you now?”

“I was taken of the roaster?”

“Shit, but don’t worry. I bet they will make you active again soon. This is just too funny! A fuckin kid fooled the whole village!” she envied his bright outlook on the situation. Heck, his optimism slowly rubbed off on her as she gave Genma a shy smile that reflected in her emerald eyes.

“Thanks,” Sakura whispered.

“Yeah, actually, I wanted to thank you, kid. You saved me out there,” Shiranui instinctively rubbed on his belly, where the sword had penetrated him. “Hey, what do you say if I treat you with some dango, yeah?”

“Mmm, sure?” so they walked together out of the training grounds. Her watchdogs followed.

“So, why are the masks on your toes?” Genma asked casually. He was not under any impression, that she wasn't aware of their presence.

“Well, I kinda did lie. That is suspicious, considering all the possible spies, Orochimaru and Root,” she shrugged.

“Fuck, as if! I owe you my life,” he pat her on the shoulder. She felt somewhat at ease in his company. It felt nice. Sakura graced him with another shy smile. At least it was an honest one instead of her usual fake eye crinkle.

“Genma! My precious teammate! What a beautiful day today! Just stop and smell the training! How are you doing this youthful morning?!” a green blop stopped next to them.

“Hey, Guy. Just taking Saku here out to eat,” he pointed in her direction.

“Yo.”

“...Saku?... You look rather youthful! Like a blossom blooming among the leaves!” she heavily cringed at that. But at least Guy didn’t question her. He accepted her. They were about to go their separate ways when Sakura stopped.

“You go ahead, Genma-san, I have something to ask Guy-san,” she said. Shiranui looked between them for a moment, then nodded and went ahead as she asked.

“How may I be of services to you, Saku?” Guy beamed with the power of a thousand suns.

“Mmm, Guy-san… could you maybe check on Kakashi-sensei? I haven’t seen him in a while... I am a bit concerned...” she thought about the copy-nin for a while. It was hard to ignore his presence back in T&I. His rage and killing intent was like nothing she had ever felt from him before. Even with the hate she had for the man, she could not deny that there was still some warmth left in her for Kakashi.

“Oh! Such a big heart you have, Saku!” the man was about to cry. “Rest assured, I will make sure my eternal rival is safe and sound!”

━━━━━━━━━━

As Saku’s figure disappeared in the distance, so did Guy’s smile. He looked contemplatively after _her_. The rumors were true. Interesting.

Her request was even more unsettling. Kakashi. His friend and rival. Was he taking this news hard? He didn’t know, but now, he had to check. In a blink of an eye, jonin appeared in front of Kakashi’s door.

Knock. No answer.

Knock. Silence.

“Kakashi! It is me, your eternal rival! I know you are inside!”

Pause. Then the door slowly opened. Guy was surprised to see, that it was Kakashi’s dog that opened it.

“Oh, Bull?”

“Mhm, boss is in the back…” the dog trailed off. This was troubling. With a concern building up in him, Guy walked inside. He stopped.

“Kakashi?” his friend was sitting on the floor, head placed on his knees. Carefully he approached the copy-nin as not to startle him. He didn’t have to worry, as Kakashi seemed to be completely out of it.

“It’s okay,” he sat down next to his friend and placed an arm around his shoulders.

“I… failed her…” a low whisper came somewhere from the hidden face next to him.

“It’s okay…” Guy was pretty sure that it was about Saku, but he didn’t know what exactly happened. Why would Kakashi blame himself?

“I… I should have known…”

“No one knew about her, it’s okay.”

“I should have stopped him… She… she was in so much pain...”

 _Him_? Guy was definitely missing something. He was also taken aback by the quiet sound of sobs coming from the stoic man that was usually considered emotionless.

“It’s okay. Let’s get you some food and we can talk about it, okay?” Guy said not actually asking or waiting for a response. He was ready to feed the man himself if it came to this.

“She was abused... All this time... And I did nothing…” Guy inhaled keeping his questions at bay for the moment. He stood up and started preparing some food instead.

━━━━━━━━━━

Okay, so not everyone was as calm about her reveal as Genma or Guy. Sakura was getting increasingly more annoyed with _the looks_ and whispers around her. She wanted to scream. To break something. To smash a house into rubble. To blow up those people into bits.

Yet she could not do a thing as ANBU kept a very careful watch over her. She couldn’t sense their chakra or their eyes, but she felt their stares nonetheless. So she could not have any private conversations either. With anyone.

Not that anyone wanted to speak with her. Sakura was officially the social pariah of the village. Also, there were people she avoided herself. Like the rookie 9. Thankfully, at least Shikamaru was out on a mission in Suna this whole time.

Then there was Inoichi Yamanaka and Ibiki Morino. Them knowing the whole truth made it only worse. Sakura religiously avoided both of them with great success so far. Tsunade was locked away in her office, so also easy to avoid…

The only man that tested her evasion skills to the fullest, was of course Kakashi Hatake. He stalked her. He tried approaching her. Sakura was not having any of it. She could not look him in the eyes after what happened. Even thinking about facing the man a shiver went down her spine. Nop. Not happening.

It was like the whole world went upside down. For once in a lifetime, Kakashi was the one chasing after her. The one who wanted to talk with her. And she was the one who ran away, giving her ANBU guards a workout too. It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad. Sakura felt suffocated in this village. She felt like an enemy no matter where she went.

Exhausted and emotionally drained, she finally returned home.

“Saku, we have to talk.”

Damn. She really hoped that Kakashi wouldn’t use his ninken to track her down, but he finally did and was now sitting in her living room. Waiting for her. An adult person like her would sit down next to him and get it over with.

Sakura walked past him to the kitchen, completely ignoring his existence. This was silly and immature, but she did not want to confront him. Ever.

She heard him stand up and follow her. She didn’t look back and instead started preparing her diner. Maybe if she pretends long enough he will get the hint and leave?

“Sakura,” or maybe not. She froze up hearing _that_ name.

“Don’t call me that…” she said not yet sure if the anger or sadness was winning the battle inside her chest right now. At least she was still standing with her back to the man.

“I’m sorry, Saku. I am so sorry…” Kakashi said not really talking about her name anymore. What was he apologizing for? He didn’t do anything. Her hand slightly trembled holding the knife. She let go of it and hugged herself in an attempt to stop the uncontrollable shivering.

“It’s fine. I’m fine.”

“No, Saku, you are not fine,” Kakashi stepped closer. He was approaching like one would a wounded animal. Slow, careful, nonthreatening. “You need to talk with someone about it.”

“I said I’m fine!” and anger takes the lead. Sakura would rather spend the rest of her life again with Sasuke than speak with anyone about anything!

“Saku, you can talk with me,” Kakashi’s voice was gentle and soft. Ha. He would never speak with her like that if he considered her a boy still. Honestly, what was he thinking? Speaking with him? It would be like a blind person leading another blind person.

Sakura felt cornered.

“I. Don’t. Need. To. Talk. About. Anything,” she gritted out not looking him in the eyes.

“Alright. We don’t have to talk. I will just be here for you,” she blinked. Where was the catch? Kakashi Hatake she knows wouldn’t give up so easily. With suspicion, she finally dared to glance at his eye.

“What do you want from me?”

“I want to help you.”

“I don’t need help.”

“Saku…” ah, that tone. He pitied her! Now she trembled with anger. This is exactly what she wanted to avoid. 

“Just leave me alone!”

“No.”

“Leave…” Sakura’s voice wasn’t as strong anymore. This was too much. Then Kakashi did something she would have never expected. He embraced her in a tight hug. _This_ was too much. She couldn’t control the tears that rolled down her cheeks as Sakura pressed her face to his chest.

“Thank you... For Guy… he helped me and now I will help you,” Kakashi whispered to her ear. This was so stupid. He couldn’t help her. Sakura was sure of it. Yet the genuine words of her sensei made her cry even more. This was too unexpected. 

Sakura just wanted to be alone and do her thing. Kakashi just had to show up and force her to face her problems. It hurt to be so exposed, to have her dark secrets known by him. She hated Kakashi for being so supportive and caring. It was such a contrast comparing with her past.

Control was slipping from Sakura’s fingertips. She felt like she was drowning. It was too late to fix anything. She was beyond fixing. She was completely broken and alone. Kakashi was too late.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Saku's new attire! Spend a whole day in photoshop 😂  
>   
> [Art Reference](https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/422845852516862924/)


	35. Boiling Point

Sakura was ready to flip anyone who dared to whisper about her. They might not even be talking about her, but from Sakura's point of view, it didn’t matter. They whispered around Sakura meaning they could be only talking about her. How much did they know, she was not sure. Even civilians looked at her _funny_.

This was frustrating. She could feel them calling her names even if she didn’t hear it. Kakashi was also not giving her any rest. Sakura wasn’t sure if she liked this side of him. Often she would catch herself missing the old ignorant and detached sensei.

ANBU still tracked her every move not easing her paranoia one bit. But at least, tomorrow was the meeting with Tsunade. The Council’s verdict will be announced and her future in Konoha will be set.

After training Sakura felt slightly better, but the annoying watchdogs still made her feel suffocated. She needed a break. She needed time to calm down and think. She needed some time alone to gather her thoughts. 

It was the last day, so technically the council’s decision should be already made… she considered. Fuck it. She deserves a break. Sakura quickly committed to her escape plan and used a moment in the crowd to create a clone. With a henge in place, she slipped into an alley and ran for it.

Checking once in a while, she couldn’t feel any heartbeats following her. Maybe ANBU could suppress their presence, but they still could not stop their hearts from beating. She lost them.

Instantly relieved, Sakura ended up in her favorite park under a tree. Laying on the green grass her muscles relaxed, henge dropped. She could now think clearly. Konoha wasn’t so friendly to her. As if it ever was... she thought bitterly closing her eyes.

━━━━━━━━━━

Shikamaru had a long three weeks. He wasn’t built for diplomacy and yet Hokage sent him to Suna anyway. He had a strong feeling that it was because of Saku and their mission. So when he finally returned, the boy bolted straight to the hospital. It was a long shot, but he had to check.

“No, sorry, Haruno was released a few weeks ago,” the nurse told him. Shikamaru decided to visit her home, but realized at that moment, that Saku never told him where he lived.

Reluctantly he went to Nara compound. Maybe his father could shed some light on his friend’s situation.

“Saku’s address? Sorry, son. I cannot share that information,” his father replied. There was something odd the way Shikaku looked at him.

“Dad, what is going on?” Shika asked straight.

“I guess… well, did you know, Shika?”

“Know what?”

“Mmm, that your friend, Saku, was a girl?”

“What.”

Shikaku sighed heavily. “Yeah. After that chakra exhaustion, it was revealed, that Saku used transformation technique.”

“What?!” he was in disbelief. Without letting his father say another word, Shikamaru bolted out. He had to find Saku. Now.

The only spot he could think of was their napping tree. And of course, he was right. From afar, he noticed a figure on the grass with distinctive pink hair. Shikamaru stopped in his tracks when he got close enough to fully see Saku…

“What. The. Fuck. Saku,” he yelled out. Eyes wide taking in his _friends_ appearance. Was this a joke? Saku looked at him without amusement.

“Yo,” that annoying greeting got right under Shikamaru’s skin.

“What the hell?! Saku? Is that really you?”

“Yup.”

“So… you’re a.. Girl?” it sounded weird. It wasn’t right. He _knew_ Saku. 

“Yup.”

“WHY?” it was a stupid question, yet Shikamaru was having a hard time saying anything. He was shocked. He felt betrayed.

“Did you ever notice, that there are no girl genin teams? Or even two girls in a team?”

“What.”

“Yeah. It is easier to be a male shinobi. People actually treat you as a comrade and not someone to be protected and shielded,” Saku was not making any sense.

“That’s your fuckin’ excuse?! Why didn’t you tell me???”

“Remember how you reacted when Lady Tsunade was announced as the next Hokage? And the way you consider all-woman troublesome? I didn’t want to lose you as a friend...” the _girl_ trailed off. This whole situation was really pissing of young Nara.

“Friend?? How can you consider us friends if you lie about something like this???”

“Does it really matter that much what gender I am? Or why I chose to hide it?”

“YES!”

Saku slowly stood up. Her eyes were as cold and distant as ever.

“Why?”

“Screw you! As far as I am concerned, every word you said was a lie. What are you going to lie about next?” Shikamaru was losing it badly. His blood was boiling. Maybe he really wouldn’t have cared if Saku was a girl or a boy. But the fact that she didn’t trust him was undeniable. _He_ trusted Saku with his life!

“...”

“Shit! Saku. I cannot be friends with someone like you,” the moment he said it, a tense silence filled the space between them. Why indeed. Why it mattered? Maybe it didn’t. But now Shikamaru was too proud to admit it. 

Saku didn’t say another word and disappeared. Good riddance, he thought. 

Still fuming with anger, Shikamaru returned home late. The sky was already dark with stars glimmering high above him. His mind still couldn’t comprehend why would Saku ever do this. It made no sense! 

He didn’t want to see his mother or father, talk with them, answer any questions, so the boy cloaked his chakra and sneaked in carefully through their garden. He heard voices coming from the living room, where the door to the garden was slightly open.

“...Saku…” he heard that name and his rage flickered again, but curiosity lead him to sneak closer and eavesdrop.

“Inoichi, you know something, don’t you?” Shikamaru heard his father’s voice.

“Shikaku, please don’t ask,” Yamanaka clan head sounded tired and wary.

“Just how bad is it? I’ve never seen you drink so much over the past weeks.”

“It’s… I really cannot say... shit,” the sound of sake being poured and clang of cups. 

“My son was friends with her, Inoichi! I have to know if I should be worried,” hearing the past tense coming from his father’s lips stung Shikamaru.

“Argh.. but you have to promise not to tell anyone! Even your wife! And especially Shikamaru,” when drunk, Inoichi never stood much of a chance against his father. The decades of friendship had the power to untie any tongue.

“I won’t. So? Is she a spy? Or Root agent?”

“No... fuck.. I had to check her memories for exactly that.”

“And? What did you find?”

“Saku changed her gender from a trauma...”

“Trauma? What do you mean?”

“Her father… he beat the girl senseless… and…”

“And?”

“He raped her, Shikaku. Raped her! Fuck. For years!” there was silence. Shikamaru stood frozen in the garden. His stomach turned from what he just heard. The anger he was holding on to evaporated in an instant. So... that’s why…

“Shit…” Shikaku was filling their glasses again. “So… personality disorder?”

“More like self-preservation…”

Shikamaru wasn’t listening anymore. His legs felt weak in the knees. He felt sick. His _friend_ was abused and he… he yelled at her! Of course, she wouldn’t tell him that... Even now she lied and he could understand why…

“Stupid... I’m so fuckin' stupid…” he muttered and quickly turned around. He had to find Saku. He had to apologize. He really acted like an ignorant idiot, judging her like that without knowing all the facts.

━━━━━━━━━━

The next morning Sakura woke up feeling more empty than ever. It didn’t hurt anymore. Her heart was just empty. Shikamaru’s words were something she expected from him, but it still pained her to hear him say it.

They weren’t friends. Well, not like she ever needed them anyway… It wasn’t the end of the world… It was just one person… One more person that hated her…

“Fine, whatever…” she whispered dressing up. There were more important things than Shikamaru. For example her meeting with Tsunade. 

Excitement mixed with dread wasn’t the most pleasant combination. But she was a shinobi and her emotions got locked away before she left her home.

“Haruno, come in,” the Hokage called for her. Inside her office, Sakura found more people than she expected. On one side stood Ibiki and Inoichi. Great. The three people, counting Tsunade, she wanted to never see again were all in the same room.

Then there was Shikaku Nara and a man with a mask. She guessed that it was ANBU commander. Those two probably had a say on her future as a shinobi. At this point, Sakura would even accept working in ANBU. Or T&I.

Hokage activated her office privacy seals and only then started talking.

“Saku Haruno. The council has voted and it was decided, that…” Tsunade took a breath, her golden eyes looking straight at her. “...you will be relieved from your shinobi duties to Konoha. You are welcome to work in the Hospital as a medic.”

“...”

“...”

“What.” Sakura felt the time go still. Really? Even in this timeline, they wanted to bury her in the damn hospital as some useless medic? She looked from Tsunade to the other people who were gathered in the room, looking for answers. “Why?”

“You were determined… unstable for active duty,” it was Inoichi who said it. UNSTABLE?! She is the most fuckin’ stable person in the fuckin’ Konoha!!! With all the shit she had to go through… This was just insulting. She glared at Yamanaka.

“May I ask on what grounds such determination was made?” Sakura’s voice was cold as steel. Professional. But that was an illusion. She was barely keeping her killing intent at bay.

“Considering your… history… there is a high chance for you to… have issues following orders. We cannot afford to endanger other shinobi if such a thing happens during a mission,” Tsunade said maneuvering her words carefully, but Sakura got the point. The woman basically called her an unstable crazy psycho that would lead her teammates to death because she was broken beyond fixing.

“So… you think I’m crazy now?” Sakura couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Crazy is a strong word,” Inoichi tried to say something, but Sakura’s quick glance shut him right up.

“Unstable, Haruno. The decision was made. I will ask you to give up your headband,” Tsunade was ice-cold just like her orders. Sakura was still staring at the Hokage without blinking.

There were five adult people in this room and not one of them believed in her. They all considered her some weak girl. Konoha considered her weak. Untrustworthy. A liar. A fake. A spy... Not a friend…

“You wanna see fuckin’ crazy? I’ll show you fuckin’ crazy!” all emotions she so carefully locked away burst out at once. With the smallest twitch of her fingers, the five bodies in front of her were all paralyzed. Yes, this was the same technique she used on Naruto.

Breathing heavily Sakura realized that there was no going back now. She officially attacked almost all higherups of Konoha at the same time… and it felt good! The fear in their eyes was exhilarating. The silly attempts to use their chakra were just comical. She made them as defenseless as newborns.

“You know what? I’ll just have to decline, _Hokage-sama_. I think it is time for me to leave Konoha,” she spoke slowly walking towards Tsunade’s desk. With a couple of hand signs, she made a clone. Her copy went to the secret door and opened it without much effort using the same seals as the first time.

“Wooow. You still haven’t changed the locks? Konoha’s security is truly shit. Probably even Orochimaru has knowledge of those passcodes, that’s how ancient they are. No wonder he and his spies infiltrate the village with such ease,” Sakura wasn’t censuring herself. It felt nice to speak freely. Why was she speaking so much instead of running away? She was buying time. So she continued to voice her thoughts.

“Oh yeah, that little ‘rain of classified information’. That was me,” she made a pause letting her words sink in. “When I found it out, I couldn’t keep it for myself. You’re welcome, _Hokage-sama_. Now you don’t have to deal with the geezer council,” she stared right into the golden eyes. She didn’t allow them to speak back. No. It was her time to talk. 

“Oh, you’re probably wondering why I looked for that intel in the first place? Chill. I am not a spy. For that, you can thank that fuckin’ Uchiha,” Sakura sat on the edge of the desk. She needed at least 15 more minutes, so she continued her little web of lies mixed with truth.

“You see, that day Itachi slaughtered his clan, I was passing by, right next to the compound. He obviously noticed me,” she looked in the distance remembering that night. “He held his bloody blade right to my throat. But he didn’t kill me, imagine that?” there was no answer as her listeners were completely paralyzed. She had to continue her monologue in a very much 'crazy person' fashion.

“I know! I was surprised too. That really got me thinking. Why would a person, who can kill his family, spare some civilian? So I did some research that eventually led me to all the dirty things Lord Third was doing behind the scenes,” thinking about the old man her face scrunched from disgust.

She gave a quick glance at the clock. Soon.

“Ha, people still call Konoha a ‘friendly’ village. What a joke. Even clan kids are tortured and enslaved,” she thought of Neji for a moment there, “so what chance does a mere civilian have?”

She slowly took a kunai from her pouch and swirled it in her hand. This was it.

“Hmm..” she considered for a moment, but then without any more hesitation slashed the blade across her headband officially marking her as a missing-nin. Then she got completely serious, putting her crazy act aside. She looked at Tsunade’s eyes.

“You know, I could kill you all right now. With a snap of my hand. And you could do nothing about it. That easy. But I will not do it. You know why?” she stood up and walked around the table to Tsunade’s side.

“Because I’m not crazy. Or unstable,” she somewhat whispered in a threatening tone. “I am frustrated though, with you, people,” she looked around the room. All eyes were wide and petrified.

Alright, at this moment she might just understand what Orochimaru meant about the world standing still. About the joy of chaos. She felt happy having all of their lives in her palm. She wanted to laugh at how easy it was.

“Don’t send hunters after me. I will kill them. All. Without exception,” she leaned back to Tsunade’s ear. “Though, I will leave one alive so he could bring what’s left of the bodies back to Konoha. So you could see where your decisions take your precious shinobi, _Lady Tsunade_ ,” Sakura’s voice was cruel and laced with mirth.

She wanted to hurt the woman so badly… Eventually, she opted out to use her blood jutsu to leave a permanent mark on Tsunade’s face. A triangle under her eye. Same she left on her victims during the chunin exams. A lone thread of blood rolled down the woman’s cheek like a tear.

“So you would remember what a mistake you made today,” Sakura smiled finally pulling away. Her time was up. “Now. I really hope you keep track of what is in the Hokage’s records down below,” she said with a wink. Maybe it was too obvious of a hint, but it was fun to tease them. To toy with them.

“Don’t worry, all is well that ends okay,” she was surprised how easy it was to put a show. Maybe now they will be scared enough to acknowledge her skills and talents. “So, I will end this shit with a fuck you all and have a nice day,” she made one last wave and released her clone.

Sakura’s body melted into water. This was a clone all along! The real Sakura had left long ago via the secret passage. Silence filled the Hokage office. It was deafening.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos to those who can spot the reference I used in this chapter! 😊


	36. Leaving The Nest

Sakura moved quickly down the stairs into the Hokage secret library. Well not so secret, she thought with a smirk. How many times does one have to break into such a place for it to become guarded more carefully? Probably a few more times. There were no traps or even ANBU lurking around. She knew, that the village shinobi were spread thin at the time, but this was getting ridiculous.

She looked around. If her memory recalled correctly… Aha! Here they were. She pocketed a couple of maps and Lord Thirds’ notes. Then, with childlike enthusiasm, she scattered a bunch of other documents around so that it would be hard to tell what exactly she took and from where.

Time was not on her side, so Sakura had to move faster. Taking another secret exit out, she cloaked her chakra lightly, not erasing it completely. Then moved to her apartment taking the roads instead of the roofs. Luckily, she didn’t meet anyone on the way.

Books, scrolls, clothing yet again were packed into her storage scrolls. Her apartment once more looked like no one was ever there. She had a few more minutes before her clone will disappear. Perfect. To be fair, Sakura planned on having to leave Konoha… but not like this. Although, the girl could not deny the excitement she felt.

“Summoning!” she whispered tracing a finger on her bandaged arm. Blood was smeared under the fabric using her blood jutsu. Mokuhi appeared from a cloud of smoke.

“ **Pinky, long time…** ” the bird didn’t get to finish as she quickly pointed to her head.

“Quickly! Take me to Ankoku! Don’t leave your trace behind!” the bird got the hint from her urgent tone and perched on the top of her head. With one last ‘KRA’ they both vanished. At that exact moment, her clone dispersed itself.

━━━━━━━━━━

Tsunade stood up sharply, the chair hit the wall behind her. Golden eyes flaming with something beyond rage. She instantly undid the privacy seals. ANBU posted outside the room immediately appeared. They were alerted by the sudden change in the air and a change in the number of people that should have been inside.

“TRACK HER DOWN!” she ordered without blinking. “And SOMEONE, for the LOVE of HASHIRAMA upgrade our security seals!!!” she smashed her fist to the table that splintered into pieces from her chakra punch. Three men left in the room shared various levels of shock between them.

“Inoichi, don’t you even open your mouth!” she preemptively yelled at the Yamanaka, who really looked like he was struggling to keep his tongue silent. The man probably wanted to comment, that this was exactly what he was talking about. Mental breakdown.

“You should have given her to work for T&I,” Ibiki murmured crossing arms on his chest. He was already aware of Saku’s potential in knowledge gathering and sharing. Adding to that in-depth experience with torture resulted in a perfect combination for a T&I force shinobi.

He had to admit, that ever since that day, referred to as the ‘Day of Secret Rain’, he wondered who could have infiltrated even to Root and shared the intel in such a way. If it were an enemy, the intel would have been shared with other villages. But instead, that someone, now he knew it was Saku, shared it only with Konoha shinobi. It was a sign and a warning to do better. Saku obviously cared about the Leaf but got nothing in return.

“What a shame...” he mumbled before leaving the office. Inoichi followed, to avoid being killed by the Hokage. 

“Nara, you stay!” her sharp voice stopped Shikaku mid-step. The man sighed but turned around squaring his shoulders.

“Yes, Hokage-sama?”

“Get. Me. The. Bingo. Book,” she snarled out the request. So it was decided then. Saku Haruno was officially a missing-nin to be killed on sight.

“Yes, Hokage-sama,” he reluctantly bowed. This was troublesome. Not only one, but two of Konoha shinobi defecting in such quick succession. Rumors will spread. Doubt will settle.

Then, there were also the ones left behind… Nara instinctively thought about his son, who he hasn’t seen since yesterday. Then there was Kakashi, his praised jonin and soon to be a ferocious shinobi, when he finds out what just happened.

Tsunade brushed the blood off her cheek and started to heal the wound. To her horror, the scar left behind was not going away. It affected her chakra pathways and branded even her transformation shape. She yelled out face turned to the sky.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura landed on the water surface with experience. She exhaled deeply and completely relaxed her shoulders. Technically she was still on the border of the land of Fire, but from here on out she could travel without fear of being chased by Konoha nin.

“ **Pinky, you planning something again?** ” Mokuhi leisurely glided in the air next to her as Sakura walked across the water.

“Nop. Something already happened. I have left Konoha.”

“ **Ohhh! Are you going to stay with us in the plains of Ankoku? KRA!** ”

“Nop,” Sakura shook her head slightly and took out one of the maps she nicked from Konoha. It was a detailed depiction of the four nations with various markings on it. “I’m going here,” she pointed at one X mark.

“ **Land of Sound? That’s not that far, KRA!** ”

“Well, the thing is, I cannot go through the Land of Fire. I will have to go in a curve outside the border,” Sakura explained thinking her journey over. It wasn’t that bad. 

“ **Hmmm… maybe someone could give you a lift,** ” it wasn’t a question. Makuhi flew away leaving her behind. Sakura sighed but waited for his return patiently. At this point, she needed all the help she could get.

In a few minutes, her raven returned with Riku of all ravens. The huge blue raven with the longest claws and extraordinary aerial skills.

“Oh! Riku-san! It is nice to see you,” she bowed slightly with respect.

“ **Mokuhi insisted that you require my assistance, chick,** ” the stoic tone never got old. The mischievous glint in the raven’s eyes put Sakura at ease. He was going to help her. She could see it.

“Ah, yes, Riku-san. I need to get here as soon as possible,” she pointed at the map.

“ **Hmmm, so our young one has left its nest?** ” Sakura turned around to see the Black Raven Sage stepping from the shadows with all his majestic glory and wings trailing behind like a cape.

“Raven Sage!” Sakura bowed again but this time lower. “Yes. I have left Konoha.”

“ **Good. There is only that much knowledge to be learned inside a cage,** ” he said thoughtfully approaching her. His statue was impressive and made the girl awe, even though she had seen him many times by now. “ **Here, a gift. May you find what you are looking for, but the ones looking for you may not.** ”

It looked like the sage plucked one of his own black feathers when it suddenly turned into flowing black fabric lined with more feathers. It was a cloak. Sakura carefully took the garment and put it on without hesitation. 

“Thank you, Raven Sage!”

“ **Riku, take the shinobi child where she needs to go,** ” sage ordered the blue raven. Sakura felt like there was something unsaid that the two birds exchanged with their eyes alone.

“ **Yes, Lord Black,** ” Riku bowed as the sage left. “ **Come along, chick, no time to waste!** ” before she could answer, the raven grabbed her into his arms and the next second they were already in the sky.

“Wouu… I wish I could fly,” she mazed looking down at the quickly moving ground. Big wings making elegant swings without any effort clearing hundreds of miles. Mokuhi was following them in tail. Little raven made silly dives down once and again. Sakura learned that ravens were very playful. Yet again, she could relate to their spirit.

In no more than thirty minutes, Sakura felt Riku change directions. He was making circles in the sky. Looking down she could almost recognize the familiar Land of Sound landscape.

“ **Good luck, chick,** ” Riku chuckled by her ear and then... He let go! Sakura gasped for air as now she was falling down from the sky with increasing speed. That damn bird! He enjoyed testing her areal skills after he agreed to teach her, but this was going too far! From such height, she will never make it!

“ **Spread your wings, pinky, and claim the air, KRA!** ” Mokuhi screeched somewhere in her back. Wings? What wings??? Sakura looked around and finally noticed. Her new cape was fluttering behind her and it was no longer fabric! No, behind her were two black wings.

“What the…” instinctively she send some chakra that way and was surprised to find a fully biologically correct pair of wings. She had to learn on the fly, literally. After a couple of prods, she finally spread them and…

“Oh wow…” she was actually flying! Control of such things cost a lot of her chakra, so Sakura realized that she had to land soon or drop like a stone on the ground. “How do I…” she muttered under her breath as the land was getting closer.

Her landing was… shaky. She almost toppled over and ate dirt, but with chakra sent to her feet, she clung on and stood tall. The wings were now gone and the black cape rested on her shoulders. Her chakra reserves were half empty. This turned out to be one useful technique, but not something she could use carelessly.

“ **Lord Black will be pleased with your quick learning, KRA!** ” Mokuhi landed on her shoulder far more gracefully.

“Yeah… thank him again from me, okay?”

“ **KRA! Mhm, take care now, pinky. Don’t let the snakes bite you,** ” the raven snickered. Of course, he already knew where she was headed. The damn birds were too smart to hide anything from then.

“Don’t worry. I plan to avoid any possible snakes,” she winked and watched as her summon disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Sakura was left all alone in a small field.

She never felt better! Light like a feather. Like she could fully breathe now. Happy even. But there was no time to waste. She could not risk being found out so soon. Carefully, Sakura checked her map before going deeper into the forest.

If the paper was correct, and she was pretty sure it was, then one of Orochimaru’s old hideouts should be near. Once in a while, she would stop to check her surroundings and especially underground until she stumbled upon the hidden structure. She couldn’t feel any living things inside, but the risk was too high, to simply march inside.

“Summoning,” she muttered brushing a finger over her arm again. Two birds appeared when the smoke cleared. They were both regular size and color ravens. The only interesting thing was, that each of them had only a single eye open.

“Kakar-san, Shiri-san, I need you to scout for me,” two birds nodded as one. The female raven perched on her shoulder, the male one flew away first. Kakar was always the one to take the lead. Both birds were connected as they shared sight, thus allowing one to communicate what the other one sees. Very handy.

“ **The path is clear, Saku-san,** ” the bird chirped on her shoulder.

“Perfect! Please stay outside and watch for anyone approaching. Be careful of snakes,” Sakura warned Shiri as the bird took off into the trees. The girl herself calmly walked inside the hideout. The air was stale and dusty. Perfection.

“ **KRA!** ” Kakar landed on her shoulder being her trusty link with the outside.

Who would ever look for her in a place like this? Orochimaru’s hideouts are still intact for a reason - you cannot find them so easily. Thankfully, Lord Third kept good records of his work with Orochimaru. All the experiments he ordered the sannin to do… where they were done…

Now, this abandoned structure will be her shelter for the night. And while she’s at it, Sakura decided to take advantage of the laboratory. She might as well prepare some poisons and antidotes just in case. And some food pills. And some chakra enhancers. And… well anything! Sakura exhaled deeply. She could do anything! No one was stopping her!

Late in the night, Sakura finally found herself a room to sleep in. By the looks of it, it had to be the snake’s quarters. The bed was large and there were shelves with books and scrolls. She took one leather-bound tom and settled on the soft mattress.

It was a book about cells and biology. One section caught her eye. She smirked taking a glance at the bird perched on the back of a wooden chair.

“Kakar-san, do ravens have a throat pouch? I’ve seen you hide food that way.”

“ **Yes, Saku-san. We are careful with our catch.** ”

“Can you teach me how to do it?”

“ **You want to hide food too?** ” the raven croaked his head slightly.

“Not necessarily food,” she grinned. Sakura remembered that time Orochimaru ate their chunin exam scroll. Such techniques would be useful to store blades... poison… secret information. So many possibilities!

“ **Alright, I will teach you, Saku-san.** ”

The first night went by easily. Sakura felt here more at home than she ever felt in Konoha. Or maybe it was due to the pressure that was taken of her shoulders. No more lies. No more pretending to be who she is not. No more hiding. Ironically, she was in a hideout right now, but she felt like finally, people saw her for who she was.

The whole day she trained with Kakar, then with Shiri as the birds switched places. As the sun set for the second time, Sakura laid in the bed feeling a bit more restless. When she closed her eyes, the sleep didn’t take her. Her body was too tense from lack of intense training.

She inhaled deeply. Her mind recognized Orochimaru’s scent that still lingered on the sheets. Or maybe that was her imagination, but either way, his image stood before her closed eyes. She had needs, that were cultivated over the years of harassment. Her body had needs.

There was a dark urge to be hurt. The pain was mixed with pleasure in her mind. She wanted to be choked. She wanted to be touched. She wanted her mind to blank out from pleasure.

As there was no one around, Sakura took matters into her own hands, literally. She slowly sneaked under her garments and brushed her fingers over the soft folds of her nether region. It wasn’t the same as when Orochimaru did it. He had the talent to know exactly where to push to get her to the edge. Then he would push her of said edge into an abyss of pleasure moaning his name.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Saku's cloak/ cape inspired by:  
>   
> [Art Reference](https://www.zerochan.net/2805591)
> 
> Saku's cloak/ cape:  
>   
> [Reference](https://www.etsy.com/listing/747274917/full-length-hooded-raven-cloak-feathered)


	37. We Meet Again

“Lord Orochimaru.”

“What is it Kabutoooo?” snake-like eyes didn’t even glance at the man who just entered his laboratory. He knew better than to disturb Orochimaru without a good reason behind it.

“Looks like a security seal was activated in one of your old hideouts,” he announced. Candlelight glimmered reflecting on the gray-haired man’s glasses. There was a hint of a smirk on his lips.

“Hmmm,” Orochimaru finally raised his head from the specimen he was inspecting till now. “Well, we cannot have anyoneeee lurking around my worrrrk,” the sannin rethored.

“Yes, Lord Orochimaru. I will send a squad to check it right away.”

“No need, Kabuto. I think thissss will be a good workout for young Sassssuke. Be ready to leave in thirty minutes,” he ordered leaning back to his work. 

Someone was stupid enough to meddle in his business and he planned to kill them slowly. Kami forbid, information about his laboratories would spread out.

Life was getting far too boring after Third’s demise. The victory was sweet while it lasted, but now everyone had moved on. Orochimaru needed to taste the thrill again.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura traveled from one hideout to another. She didn’t want to stay in one place for too long. Plus, not every hideout had resources to steal. 

She was now pretty good at hiding things inside her mouth pouch. So she could actually travel without any backpack as powerful shinobi do. For a second she imagined Akatsuki members traveling around with backpacks. She couldn’t contain her laughter at that. 

Settling in another hideout, Sakura finally finished antidotes for the poisons she concocted, plus the ones she _borrowed_ from Orochimaru’s stash. With a reserve of soldier pills, she also felt more at ease. 

“ **Saku-san, three snakes appeared in the are,** ” her raven Kakar announced.

“Ahh, I see. You can both go then. I would not like for you to get hurt,” she smiled at the bird. Raven company allowed her to stay at least a bit sane. The bird shrieked and poofed out of existence.

She looked around and quickly packed her things into a storage scroll, then swallowed it whole. The three snakes had to be Orochimaru with his followers. She could still run, but a part of her wanted to see the man. After all, she dreamed of him for days. Maybe the universe decided to work in Sakura’s favor for once and brought him to her.

The girl smiled and waited.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Where are we going?”

“To hunnnnt,” Orochimaru smirked showing his sharp teeth. Sasuke was keeping up fairly easily with the two men next to him. For a week now they went from one hideout to another. They were all empty and seemed untouched. But it looked like the sannin wasn’t convinced. 

Sasuke didn’t know at that point, that Orochimaru’s nose was almost as good as Kakashi’s. The sannin captured a familiar scent that piqued his interest. This also could turn out to be a good test for Sasuke. Snake wanted to test Sasuke’s loyalty to the full extent. In other words, there was a Konoha nin in his territory, that will become their prey.

“We are close,” Kabuto announced as they leaped from one branch to the other. In a distance, a bird croaks could be heard. Even the wildlife was aware of the upcoming slaughter.

“Sasssuke-kun, fetch,” Orochimaru snickered giving the command to his newest pup. The boy snarled but proceeded to enter the hideout first. Kabuto and Orochimaru stopped just by the entrance.

“Can he really be trusted, Lord Orochimaru?”

“Oh, I doubt there is anything, that Konoha nin can say, to change the boy’s mind,” he was confident. So was Sasuke, as he entered deeper into the lair. He sensed a single chakra signature in the depths of the structure.

Sasuke didn’t speak or ask questions, he entered the room and attacked without any notice. The figure came to view. Pink hair. A moment of hesitation allowed the figure to dodge his attack. Sasuke jumped away and looked closer.

It was a girl that stood before him. Her face was what made Sasuke activate his sharingan. He was looking for a henge or transformation, but there was nothing. The only thing he saw was the pink hair, a mask, and emerald eyes.

“Who are you?!” he asked.

“Maaa, Uchiha, forgot about your dear teammates already?” the girl’s voice was feminine and sweet, but her words… they were eerily familiar.

“What’s the meaning of this??” he demanded answers. If someone wanted to trick him, they sure did a poor job scouting his past teammates. Saku was no girl. This was too big of an error. 

“Even with those _pretty_ eyes of yours, you never noticed my transformation technique,” she giggled patronizing his sharingan. Sasuke’s blood threatened to boil.

“Haruno. Why are you in disguise?” there was no other explanation. It had to be Saku, that stuck up… Sasuke pulled himself together and tried sensing for other chakra signatures. There was none. Why would Saku be here all alone…?

“Ah, the great Uchiha, once an idiot, always an idiot,” the girl sighed rolling her eyes. “I am not hiding anymore. This _is_ my true form,” Sasuke could hardly believe it. Maybe this was Orochimaru’s doing? It should be. In that case… the only thing he could do…

Sasuke moved quickly as he attacked ‘Saku’ once more. To his surprise, the girl was fast. Faster than the real Haruno he remembered. So this really had to be a fake! He tried to catch her with his sharingan, but she did not even once look at his eyes. Sasuke had to dodge her fists. One barely missed his head and slammed into a wall behind him. The surface cracked and huge pieces of the wall fell down into a ruble.

This was no simple punch, but a chakra enhanced hit. The boy noted to avoid them at any cost. And so they danced engaging each other. Sasuke couldn’t understand how this person knew the moves he was about to make. How this person didn’t even look tired. It was almost like the times he sparred with the real Saku.

With a frustrated yell, Sasuke leaped forward…

━━━━━━━━━━

Kabuto walked alongside Orochimaru towards distant sounds of a fight.

“The boy is taking his time,” four-eyes said as if to point out again his doubts about Sasuke.

“He is sssstill too weak,” Orochimaru tsk’ed his tongue unimpressed. There was only a single enemy, yet the Uchiha struggled against them. Pathetic.

Shortly they reached the center of the noise. Yet now, there was silence. Dust was slowly clearing as they entered the big hall. Kabuto by his side snickered. Orochimaru was mildly amused.

What stood before them was an unexpected image. Sasuke was on the floor, face down, hands flailing. He looked like a helpless kitten. Above the boy stood a lean figure of a girl. Her foot was placed on top of Sasuke’s head, pressing it down.

Their eyes met and Orochimaru knew it was _her_. That weird little creature he encountered in the theatre. His hunch was confirmed the moment he recognized her scent in one of the previous hideouts they checked. Now there were no doubts left. It was her.

“We meet againnnn, little one,” a wicked smile stretched across his face. He wasn’t a fool. The girl was from Konoha and that was a fact, just like the headband around her neck. Yet, she was here. Alone. Completely overpowering Uchiha. Orochimaru could not help, but be curious as, why she came to him. His brilliant mind hurried to remind their last encounter.

“Yo. Are you going to run away again?” he could see a smile behind her mask. _She_ was taunting _him_?? It would be hilarious if she wasn’t so foolish to think that he actually ran away the last time.

 _Finally_ , Sasuke managed to get out of her hold and jumped in the air preparing to strike the girl back. There was something odd about the way the boy moved. If Orochimaru had to guess, he would say that it looked like Sasuke’s chakra points were blocked. Interesting. 

Uchiha failed again. His punch was blocked and returned. The petite girlish fist smacked Sasuke right in the face and the boy was launched across the hall into the wall with a huge force. This reminded Orochimaru of Tsunade. Innnnnteresting. Maybe this was his ex-teammates plan?

“Why did Tsunade send you?” he asked curving one eyebrow in a questioning manner. The girl looked back at him without fear, startle or any emotions he would expect from a normal person.

“Oh? I guess the news travel slow. Don’t you have a recent Bingo Book somewhere, Kabuto-san?” the girl spoke as if she knew them both. Cocky little thing she was. Orochimaru liked it. This was fun.

“You know me?” Kabuto raised his eyebrow, a bit surprised to be dragged into this conversation at all. “Judging by your looks and skills, I would have to say that you resemble the one named Saku Haruno. Sasuke’s former teammate. Yet, I see a major difference,” he talked eyes gliding over her form, long legs, gentle hands, and stopping over the prominent breast.

“Kabuto Yakushi. Hyper intelligent. Ready to suck your soul dry and file your information for a rainy day,” she said summing up Kabuto pretty well. Orochimaru chuckled covering his mouth with one hand.

“Ssssaku Haruno? I do remember now. In the foresssst of death,” the sannin spoke and he could now clearly see the difference and the unmistakable resemblance. On one of the two occasions, he was fooled by this child’s looks.

“Oh..” snake heard a sound of surprise from Kabuto. Glancing in his direction, Orochimaru noticed the man had the latest Land of Fire Bingo Book open. “Saku Haruno. _Female_. Konohagakure missing-nin. Wanted for _threason_ and defection. Kill on sight,” he recited the entry and looked up at her with a fresh mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Yup, sounds about right,” the girl nodded as she walked to the back and sat on a grand looking wooden chair. Orochimaru’s chair. 

“Kabuto, take Sassssuke and tend to his injuries,” Orochimaru ordered, not leaving his eyes from Saku. Interesting little creature indeed. 

“Yes, Lord Orochimaru,” Kabuto quickly made himself gone, with Sasuke under his arm. Now they were left alone.

“Why are you here, cccchild?” he said in a mocking tone stepping closer to Saku. The girl didn’t even flinch.

“I needed a lab and you have the best ones around,” the girl shrugged.

“My hideoutssss are not an inn for a missing-nin to come and go as they pleassssse.”

“Oh? Actually, that would be a great idea! You could earn some good money like that,” the girl seriously suggested. He stepped even closer.

“I can kill you right now for your insolence,” his smile was contradictory to the seriousness of his statement. Yes, he could snap her neck without much trouble. The girl finally stood up and cleared the remaining distance between them.

“You could. You could punish me too. So many options.”

“Well, considering our age difference you are not too old to be spanked,” he said seriously unaware of the other meaning his words could have. Saku giggled to his surprise.

“Didn’t I tell you not to tease a girl? Or are you ready to finish our last conversation?” she was once again bold standing before him. Biting her lip in a teasing manner, one hand resting on his chest. Orochimaru had to blink a couple of times before her words started to make sense.

“There really is something wrong with you, isn’t there?” he remarked the same conclusion he came up with back in the Forest of Death.

“Nothing wrong with having needs and satisfying them,” she leaned in closer ignoring the fact of how fragile she was. How open to attack she left herself. Orochimaru was very much stunned. But he could not deny the urges, that the little pink devil stirred within him. 

Miraculously, Saku knew exactly where to brush her hands and it sent shivers down his spine. He grabbed her by the neck and pushed down to the floor.

“Don’t test me,” he hissed to her face looking down at her. On any other occasion, he would think she was trembling from fear, but by now he knew better. The girl was shivering from excitement.

Her little hand grabbed his free hand and guided it down between her legs.

“Do you feel it? Does it look like I am testing you?” no, it certainly did not. Orochimaru felt her juices over her undergarments. He could not restrain a pleased smile that stretched his lips. She already let go of his hand, but he didn’t hurry to pull away.

“Ssssuch a naughty creature you arrre,” he whispered instinctively obliging to Saku’s encouragement. Women were never something he chased after. No, that was more of a Jiraiya thing to do. But he was still a man. Willing and capable of _helping out_ a poor soul in need.

Saku raised her hands back to his chest grabbing a hold of the fabric. With one effortless motion, his polo was torn in two to reveal his pale skin. His eyes slightly widened as he pushed harder on her neck. The girl did not seem to be affected at all as she stroked his chest with, unusual to him, care.

Orochimaru hissed again. He wasn’t too happy to lose control like this, but his body already made up its mind. He could not ignore the throbbing sensation in his crotch. Sannin’s hand pulled away from her neck and down to her chest. Perked up nipples felt hard between his fingers.

Saku tilted her head back with eyes closed. Her mask lowered to reveal the lips slightly parted as her breathing intensified. Meanwhile, Orochimaru’s other hand pushed aside the drenched fabric out of the way. He was pleased with the wet sensation that greeted his fingers. He didn’t hurry to push ahead. The girl was rubbing against him all on her own with rhythmic motions of her hips.

“More,” she gasped. Orochimaru could only giggle from her eagerness. Not that he himself could hold away for much longer. 

“More? Tell me, what do you want?”

“I want you inside of me,” without any shame she said looking up at his golden eyes. There was that ferocious flame burning within the green emerald. He pushed one finger inside and watched as the girl arched her back to accommodate him better. Her legs spread wide were already more than inviting.

Orochimaru tilted his head to the side as if observing a peculiar specimen. His thumb rubbing on her clitoris made the muscles inside of her contract. He really didn’t have to do much, as Saku moved on her own. Basically fucking herself on his finger.

“Moooore,” she moaned out. The sound was pleasant to his ears. He pulled away his hand and looked carefully at the juices dripping down to his wrist.

“How much do you want me?” he curiously asked a bit surprised that such words even left his mouth. To think that Orochimaru would ever say a thing like that to a girl! No, a woman. The creature shivering from pleasure underneath him was no girl.

Saku’s eyes looked straight into his. She took hold of his wrist and brought the fingers to her lips. Slowly she licked her own juices from him. This was… new. And odd. And surprisingly arousing.

Orochimaru pulled away. He stood looking down at her. Without another word, he sat on the same chair the girl occupied just moments ago. He motioned with his hand for her to come closer.

The hint was understood quickly, as Saku approached and settled on his lap as if she had done this before. Knees resting on either side of his thighs. Face to face. There was a wordless agreement between them. If she wanted it that much, she’d have to take it. And Saku did just that. Her hand reached into his pants and pulled out his eager member.

Slowly she lifted up and aligned the tip with her entrance. The wet sensation sent another wave of shivers down the man’s skin. His hands pushed the girl’s blouse to the side revealing the breasts he played with before. Her hands now rested on his shoulders for support, but she wasn’t moving.

Orochimaru watched her carefully. The smirk on her lips spoke louder than words - now she was teasing him. How naughty of Saku to play with fire. But it didn’t last long.

They both had to inhale sharply as she lowered down her hips.

“Aghh,” the girl moaned out loudly dropping her head back, spine arched, chest leaning into his touch. Orochimaru felt the pressure and it was… something. For the first time in a while, his heart started to beat faster.

Inch by inch she got lower. Her insides expanded to accommodate his length. Orochimaru wrapped his arms around the girl’s waist and pressed her close to his chest as they savored the moment of stillness. Both of them getting used to the intense sensation.

When she started moving up and down, Orochimaru was the one to close his eyes and rest his head back. Not only her movements were precise, but her muscles contracted just at the right time as if she had full control of them.

“Oro..chi...ma...ru…” she moaned his name and the sound echoed in the room along with the noise of their wet bodies colliding with each other.

“Mmmm,” he only hummed in pleasure not voicing aloud any other sounds of satisfaction he felt. 

As her movements became more rapid, he considered pulling away. But Orochimaru finally decided to sit back and watch just how far the girl will take it. She took it till the very end. Her climax started first making her insides spasm, that was the last push for him. Orochimaru came as she stopped moving up and down. Deep inside her, his penis throbbed and released his seed.

Ecstatic relief washed over both of them.

“Hmmm, maybe I sssshould put my seal on you, you are ssssomething... else,” he mused staring down at the top of her head as the girl’s face was nuzzled into his chest. Hot breath fanning over his skin and making it tingle once more.

“No thanks, I am good. Fucking you is all I needed,” she panted out between her labored breaths.

“A vengeful heart could drawwwww out the next level of power within you,” he tempted, but the girl only snickered to his surprise. He was sure that she, like many others, was seeking power.

“Ha. You know, people really misunderstand you. You are actually a pretty decent person,” she talked leaving him stunned once more. Again! Was she really speaking of him? Did she know who he was? What he had done? Before he could question her, Saku pulled away. He didn’t manage to suppress a groan that left his mouth at the feeling of her pussy sliding off him.

“Alright. I must go now. But I will be sure to stop by again sometime,” she dared to wink at him as she pulled her mask back up.

“Why?” Orochimaru asked sincerely curious. Saku stopped for a second and looked back over her shoulder. Emerald eyes met his golden ones.

“Your body satisfies me,” she said simply. Orochimaru didn’t know if he should be flattered or insulted. He was, surely, more than just a piece of meat for her to satisfy her urges. There had to be more to why she chose him. But before Orochimaru could express any kind of reaction, Saku disappeared with a shunshin.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fanart of Saku! 💕💖  
>   
> [Link to artist](https://pin.it/7sZAOuM)


	38. Bingo!

“Lord Orochimaru?” Kabuto gave him a sideways glance taking note of his changed attire. 

“We’ll be leaving ssssoon. Is Sassssuke fixed yet?” snake looked over the unconscious boy that was laid in the infirmary room.

“Yes. He had a skull fracture and some broken ribs. Probably, none as injured as his pride,” his follower snickered enjoying the outcome. For some reason, Kabuto never liked Sasuke too much.

“Good,” a smile stretched on Orochimaru’s face. This will be an excellent push for the boy to train even hard. To seak the power of the curse mark even more.

“Lord Orochimaru, may I ask, what happened with Haruno?”

“I let her go,” he answered nonchalantly. Ignoring the fact, that the girl walked out on her own while he was still dazed and confused.

“Let go? But, Lord, she knows the locations of our hideouts! It is dangerous!”

“Do you not trussst my judgment, Kabuto?”

“No, but…”

“The girrrllll made a good argument,” he mused relishing in the memory of the Saku’s body on top of him.

“She could be a threat to our plans! For all we know, Tsunade-sama sent her,” Kabuto still tried to voice reason, but the boy really didn’t know anything. Maybe one of these days he should find a maiden for him too? Maybe then Kabuto would relax for once. So uptight. The boy did not know how to enjoy life at all.

“That may be. But for now, we have to sssstay patient and wait for the girl’ssss plan to unravel. First, we should find out why exactly Haruno defeccccted _Konoha_. I am curious what exact treason she committed,” he talked more to himself.

“Yes, Lord Orochimaru. I will gather our spies to acquire that information,” Kabuto nodded and continued to heal Sasuke.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura leaped across the trees with a smile. She got to pound Sasuke to the ground _and_ got off on Orochimaru. This turned out to be one of the best days so far! Yet it also meant that she could not stay in Sound any longer.

The first order of business - money. She needs it to survive. To eat. To rent an inn. The only way for her to get it as a missing-nin was to hunt. That she could do.

She stopped for a moment and looked at the Bingo Book she snatched from one of the hideouts. It was not the newest one, but there was plenty she could work with. Listing over pages, she decided to start with civilian criminals. She wanted to test the full extent of her powers before targeting shinobi.

After a day of travel, she ended up in the Land of Waterfalls. There was a notorious gang hidden in one of the valleys. Around a hundred heavily armed civilians. She only needed the body of their leader, but… She urged to kill them all for the fun of it.

In the dead of night illuminated by fool moon, Sakura stood on a cliff looking down at distant glimmering of lanterns in the valley. She smirked and stretched a bit before soundlessly moving down.

Sakura always wanted to try out her blood jutsu without any control or restraint. This was her chance. At first, she killed off the guards on the border. Their beating hearts were like beacons calling for her. In the silence, their bodies fell to the ground, blood leaking from all orifices as it was triggered to affect all vital points at the same time.

Carefully she walked past her carnage and deeper into their grounds. Like a true shinobi, she eliminated her enemies without alerting anyone. The silence was almost defining. Ten. Twenty. Thirty. Forty. All were dead that stood in her path.

Slowly she reached the main house. There were at least thirty men outside drinking and gambling. She stepped through the gates and their eyes slowly took note of her presence.

“Oy! Girly! What are you doing here?” one of the men yelled making his way towards her. Sakura raised her hand in front of her.

“BLOOD PULL!” she yelled out as if giving an order to the blood inside the men’s veins. It almost sounded like ‘blood pool’ she noted. As her fingers curled into a fist it happened.

All at once, the blood, like tiny senbon, shot out of the living bodies around her shredding them into bits. Crimson rain fell down to the ground as there was no other sound. They were all dead. They were all no more. Just piles of flesh.

“Huh, effective, but takes too much chakra,” she considered this flashy technique walking across the yard on top of the blood like on water. There was not a droplet of red on her.

Suddenly around ten men ran outside from the building in front of her. They were yelling and screaming. How annoying, she thought as her fingers snapped. They all fell down. Precise trigger to the brain was as effective and took far less chakra.

She made her way inside and one after the other she killed the remaining men until only one was left trembling on his knees before her.

“Please! I’ll give you money!” the poor man begged. She liked the sound of it. The fear in his eyes as he looked up at her.

“I’ll take your money regardless,” she laughed and snapped her fingers for the last time. He was dead. Sakura looked around for a bit. She found a newer version of a Bingo Book and a bag of Ryo too. Happy with her bounty, the girl grabbed the dead leader by the collar and left.

━━━━━━━━━━

Collection stations smelled. That is what Sakura learned quickly. There were also men who tried to hit on her when they would notice she is a girl. So Sakura opted out to go inside with her cloak and hood on. 

At least at the bounty collection stations, she could update her Bing Book with the latest information. Money was no longer an issue. She quickly earned for her kills and her blood jutsu got better each time. More precise. More deadly. 

She stood in a big room of an inn she stayed the night in. It was in a traditional style with quality tatami mats on the floor. This felt nice, she thought looking outside to the garden while completely naked, just after her bath.

This was her last day in the Land of Grass. She decided to relax for once and get some quality sake. So the girl ended up in a bar. It was filled with travelers from various nations. For now, she was lucky not to encounter any Konoha nin.

Her luck had to run out eventually. It just happened to be today. Almost. She spotted a few shinobi enter the establishment with white cloaks and… Suna headbands. Sakura recognized the big fan strapped on one of their backs and the bushy brown hair.

Gaara’s family. It really would be unfortunate if she had to kill them, Sakura considered. Making her resolve, she downed her bottle of sake and left. Shit, she liked Gaara. And fighting an enraged Kazekage was not something she wanted to do. Even without blood lust, Gaara was a force to be reconned with.

As Sakura walked down the street a sigh escaped her lips. She felt five hearts trailing behind her. Well here goes her plan of avoiding the Suna shinobi. She stopped and here they appear surrounding her.

“Well well, who do we have here? I thought it was you, Haruno,” Temari spoke with a kunai already in her hand. Sakura pushed her hood down and looked the girl in the eyes.

“Temari. Came for round two?” she smirked under her mask.

“We are allies of Konoha! We will not let you go, traitor!” Temari yelled with spite in her tone. She was obviously excited about having permission to kill Sakura.

“I will not hold back this time,” Sakura said in a low threatening tone. Her killing intent filled the air and shinobi around her stuttered a step back. She was definitely not a kind from the chunin exams anymore.

“Nor will we!” Temari yelled out before pouncing forward.

The fight was… short. Sakura indulged them for a bit just to use them as some sparring partners. But her patience ran out soon. She lacked it these days. Sakura snapped her fingers as she avoided a poisoned blade sent her way by Kankuro. Suna shinobi all froze in place.

“My buzz is gone now, time to end this,” Sakura sighed. She thought for a moment and decided to experiment a bit. Zeroing out on one shinobi she made the fist gesture. Blood pull. But this time, she made sure to affect only everything below the poor man’s neck. The body exploded to bits splattering blood everywhere. Not perfect as a big chunk of the chest was also not affected.

She repeated the gesture looking at the second shinobi. This time it was better. Then the third shinobi exploded. Perfect. Only a head with part of the neck plopped to the ground in one piece. Sakura turned to the remaining siblings, whose eyes were wide from shock. They were helplessly paralyzed.

“Hmmm. Well, a shame you both came. I have to kill one of you,” she spoke glancing between the two. “You see, I made a promise to Tsunade-sama, that I will leave one person alive from a group of shinobi that will be after me. So that they could bring what is left,” she motioned towards the piles of flesh, “back to her.”

A tear rolled down Temari’s cheek. Sakura exhaled and looked at the sky. A cloud was there. Puffy and high without any worries.

“Alright, and you can tell this to Gaara, this is a personal favor to him. Considering we are friends and all and I respect him. I will leave both of you alive. Just for his sake,” she clearly felt how their hearts slowed with relief.

“So make sure to take good care of Gaara. I think he will be a great Kazekage,” Sakura said her final words before shunshin’ing away. When she was far enough, her blood control jutsu lost effect and both siblings fell to their knees heaving and crying.

Needless to say, after such a stunt Sakura was included in Sunagakure’s Bingo Book with a single note ‘Flee on sight’.

━━━━━━━━━━

The monotone of rain behind the windows was not calming at all.

“What happened?” a cold voice asked a man standing in front of his big desk.

“Ghr… bounty was snatched before me again,” the man almost growled as he grit his teeth. He was losing money because some stupid novice decided to go nuts and sweep all the bounties he planned on acquiring.

“Then _maybe_ I should hire them instead, Kakuzu?”

“No, Leader-sama,” another growl. This was truly embarrassing.

“Or _maybe_ you should stop killing your partners?”

“They are spies of that snake!”

“Enough. I will send Itachi and Kisame to take care of your problem. Do not disappoint me again.”

“Yes, Leader-sama.” The man left and Pain gazed through the window. The money would start to become an issue if they don’t take care of the problem soon.

Carnage is what they called this new persona. True to his name, only blood and meat would be left where he appeared. Pain was not a fan of slaughter. He wanted the bloodshed to end.

━━━━━━━━━━


	39. Interim

Meantime.

Ibiki considered himself a decent man. Despite what he had to do for a living, the man was loyal to Konoha and of kind heart at the same time. Letting his brother go was one of the hardest things to do, but he did it anyway. Hokage would have considered it treason no doubt. Maybe that is why he understood Saku so much.

He stood by the village gate looking in the distance. It was no coincidence that Tsunade-sama sent Kakashi on a mission at this time. Maybe it was wise, or maybe it was stupid. Kami, the man could have reasoned with Saku or Hokage for that matter.

“Ibiki,” the copy nin appeared from thin air no doubt on a hurry back. But it was already too late.

“She is gone.”

Kakashi froze in place and was about to rush away, but Ibiki held his hand tightly on the man’s shoulder.

“She left. It is done. Let her go. I doubt even you could find the vixen by now,” he exhaled but didn’t loosen his grip.

“When?”

“About an hour ago. She put quite a show.”

“Saku? A show? I don’t believe you,” Kakashi’s voice was stern.

“Come,” they both walked to the shinobi apartments. The proof was right in front of their eyes - Saku’s room was empty as if no one ever even been there, to begin with.

“Summing,” Kakashi called for his pack dog. A tiny pug started sniffing around for a scent.

“Sorry boss, the scent ends here. Pinky vanished,” the pug explained. Ibiki was actually impressed, even though Saku already managed to surprise him once today back in Tsunade’s office.

“Hatake, trust me, this is for the best. I doubt she would have stayed in Konoha regardless of Hokage’s decision. Considering all that happened… I wouldn’t.”

“What was Tsunade’s decision?”

“Ahh. Let’s take a walk,” Ibiki sighed and they both headed towards the T&I headquarters. Only inside his domain, Ibiki told the whole story.

“Paralysis? How?”

“No idea. Even Nara was shocked. Probably for the first time in his life someone else paralyzed him. But our bodies were completely immobile. As well as our chakra. Your kid is something...” Kakashi was about to leave when Ibiki stopped him. “Come, I know something that will cheer you up.”

They descended deep underground and went into one of the holding cells. As the door shut behind them he came into view. Kizashi Haruno. The man was bound to a chair in the middle of the room.

“I was planning to do this, either way, you can stay or join in,” Ibiki talked as he was putting leather gloves on. Kakashi stayed silent as his killing intent filled the room. “I think, that the true reason is right in front of us. If not for that, shit of an excuse for a human being, she would still be here.”

Ibiki pulled a senbon from his pocket and approached his prisoner. Rarely did he actually enjoyed doing what had to be done. This was an exception. _This_ was for their comrade. _This_ was revenge.

Slowly he pushed the needle under the man’s fingernail. He repeated this with the whole hand as Kizashi kept screaming. Kakashi did join in, taking care of the other hand. Honestly, this was therapeutic. Before today, Ibiki even considered allowing Saku to do it. But it was too late now.

Ibiki gripped the man’s jaw to forcibly open it.. More needles were stuck right in the gums. Kakashi was about to take care of Kizashi’s eyes when he stopped him.

“No. He should see everything that is coming to him.”

They proceeded with the slow torture. At one point, Kakashi broke the mand knee joint and Kizashi fainted.

“Oh no, you won’t,” Hatake growled as he sent an electric shock to wake the man up.

━━━━━━━━━━

Shikaku hated this. As he was forced to gather the scattered documents to find a link between them and Saku, he stumbled upon even more disgusting acts that were committed in Konoha’s shadows and approved by the Third Hokage.

He had to wonder if Saku did this on purpose to shed even more light on the dirt that was under their noses. 

“Troublesome,” he murmured as there was no indication of anything missing. His mind recalled every word the girl said upstairs. Maybe there was a hint he was missing? Something did capture his attention.

The girl faced Itachi on that faithful night and survived. Why? How? He tried to recall everything about that event and started to look for more documents of it in this very room. Most of it he saw during the ‘Secret Rain’ day. But there was something odd…

It was detailed how Itachi took care of the Uchiha compound yet there was no information about the killings done in the Police Force. They all just assumed it was Itachi too, but… then why there would be no notes about it? Was someone else involved he considered with only one name coming to mind - Root. The only problem was, that in Root headquarters there was not much information about the massacre either.

Could there be someone else? Yes, Itachi was a skilled and powerful shinobi, but even he would have trouble taking out the whole Konoha Police Force full of Uchiha on edge and ready to fight. It is not the same as killing people who feel safe in their homes…

Only after six hours spent underground, the man finally returned home. He desperately needed a drink.

“Father! Do you know where is Saku? I cannot find him.. Her anywhere!”

Shikaku sighed. His son didn’t know. No one knew yet.

“No, I do not know where she is,” he answered honestly. “Why do you ask?” he looked with mild curiosity at his sone. There was something heavy he noticed in the boy’s eyes.

“Shit…” that surprised him even more. Shika rarely cursed or was so frustrated when not playing a game of shogi.

“What happened, son?”

“I… I messed up...” the boy practically whined as he sat on the floor covering his face with his hands.

“What did you do?”

“I… yelled at her... and… shit… I lost it on her,” he could barely hear what his son was saying. “I.. I said… that we cannot be friends anymore..”

Oh. Well. Shika really did do something stupid for once. Thinking about it more, Shikaku frowned. Losing a friend in a time like this… No wonder Saku finally lost it herself. The girl probably felt all alone.

“I am disappointed in you,” eldest Nara said. He probably should have comforted his son, but he could not, with all the things he knew about the girl’s life. Shikaku turned around and left to drink his troubles away.

━━━━━━━━━━

A week had passed and by now the whole village shinobi community knew what happened. There were rumors laced with bits of truth. Saku was mostly compared to Itachi Uchiha. Two genius prodigies that lost their mind for power.

Shikamaru felt like he was going to be sick the whole time. The guilt weighed heavy on him. It was his fault. It had to be. Even his father barely acknowledged the boy. Shikamaru understood why as he still remembered the conversation the man had with Inoichi.

The words haunted him even during the day. He could no longer nap without a care in the world. So Shikamaru spent his frustrations training. If he had to, he will beat the sense into Saku by force.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Hokage-sama,” four masked agents bowed before her.

“Report!” she yelled out preemptively taking a bottle of sake from her desk.

“No trace or trail. Any scent ends at Saku Haruno's apartment. We scouted the Land of Fire but there was no scent anywhere.”

A glass broke in Tsunade’s hand from the force she clenched it with. A Triangle scar was still prominent on her face.

━━━━━━━━━━

Genma was silently sitting in the corner of his favorite bar. Nothing made sense. One day it was just a regular mission with a boy Saku. And then it all went to shit, because of his mistake… Because he got injured…

The man honestly expected to get some retribution from Kakashi, but the copy-nin did no such thing. Leading Genma to believe that there was more to this whole fucked up situation.

“Hey, chem,” Hayate sat in front of him with two glasses of whiskey in his hand.

“Mmm,” he murmured taking one and gulping the drink.

“So, do you believe Pinky really did it?”

“Committed treason? Hell no! She.. saved my life…” Genma looked in the distance. The rumors were wild even without his participation in the ‘mill’. But the proof was on Tsunade’s face and it could not be denied. Saku really attacked their Hokage. But WHY?? And HOW??

They sat in silence for a long while, before Hayate spoke again.

“I… don’t think she’s a bad kid… There is no telling what other secrets Konoha holds…”

“You are damn right!” but they were the majority who believed in Saku’s innocence. People were fast to assume the worst of the kid. Genma couldn’t even look at his Bingo Book anymore. Seeing Saku’s picture there was disturbing… He wondered, what would he do if he faced her again… Could he…?

━━━━━━━━━━

Shizune practically fell into Hokage’s office, heavily panting, face red.

“What is it?” the woman behind the desk growled. Kami, she did not need any more bad news but judging from her assistance face, that is exactly what she was about to get.

“A letter! From Suna!” Shinuze handed her the scroll. Tsunade read it quickly and cursed in the words that would make Ibiki blush.

“Shit… ‘Flee on sight’, huh? Fuck… At least she didn’t kill Gaara’s family. Who knows, that could start a war,” Tsunade bit her thumb as she was thinking. More than a month had passed since Saku left the village. The girl was clearly avoiding the Land of Fire. Yet, she, as the Hokage, could not ignore such an act against their fragile ally.

Ten minutes later, five shinobi stood in front of her. She didn’t like half of them, and sincerely doubted the loyalty of another half, but they were skilled. That is what she needed now.

“Shiranui, your mission is to investigate the sighting of Saku Haruno in the Land of Tea,” and by ‘investigate’ she meant ‘track down and kill the little bitch’. The man in front of her was silent. She raised her eyebrow expectantly.

“Y..Yes, Hokage-sama,” good. At least some of the shinobi could still follow orders. The group departed. Tsunade continued drinking. After a moment, she wrote a letter to Gaara.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been a month since I started this fic! Woop 🥳  
> Thank you, everyone, for the support and comments and Kudo's   
> I really appreciate it! I am glad that you are all with me on this journey 😊💕


	40. The Hunt

Sakura was living her best life. Drinking, gambling on occasion. The Land of Tea was far more pleasant when she didn’t have to babysit her former teammates. Today she sat in a closed private room in the back of a traditional ‘tea house’.

Next to her sat a blond handsome boy, who was skillfully nibbling on her neck. His hair was extremely soft, she noticed, as her hand tangled between the golden locks. This establishment was known for the high quality of its ‘entertainers’.

For once, Sakura was not wearing her mask. She used this opportunity to indulge in the sweet affection she paid for. On a level, she felt weird kissing such a young boy. But that was his job and she respected it.

Then came a knock on the door. 

“Yes,” she rasped out as the door stayed closed.

“Miss, your guest has arrived, should I let them in?” it was a sweet voice of the owner. Sakura sighed. Work. Lazily she pushed the boy aside.

“Yes, let them in,” she said, pulling her mask back on. Then she gave a handful of Ryo to the boy and shooed him away. There was a generous tip in there, which he earned.

Shortly daimyo of this land stepped inside. He did not look at all uncomfortable by the location they were meeting in.

“Shinobi-san,” the man bowed ever so slightly as he took a spot directly in front of her.

She bowed back but didn’t speak yet. The man handed her a scroll.

“Everything’s in there. Half of the payment now, half after.”

Sakura looked over her target list. Some regular politicians. Nothing special, but at least it paid well. She nodded and stared at him expectantly.

“Ah, right, here,” he pushed a bag of money towards her. Sakura lifted it to measure the content. Seamed about right. “Mmm… and if you could, be discrete?”

At that Sakura had to giggle. Of course, she will be discrete. She _is_ a ninja after all. Without a single word said, she stood up and left.

The sooner her mission is over, the sooner she can leave to her next destination, wherever it may be. The only thing she really had to do was to be patient. Her Blood Jutsu allowed her to kill from a safe distance. Unnoticed. But the three targets could not just fall down at the same time. She would have to wait.

The first man on her list tragically fell down in the middle of a market place from what appeared to be a heart attack. After two days, the second one fell into a mysterious coma and died during the night. The last one unfortunately tripped right in front of a horse and was trampled. 

Easy as throwing a kunai. Now she only needed to collect the rest of her pay. It was scheduled to happen in the evening in the daimyo’s estate. She came like a wind from the shadows. The man was waiting for her with another bag of money.

“Thank you, shinobi-san, they were truly bad men,” he talked as she looked over the money.

“Don’t care,” was the last and only thing she said before shunshin’ing away.

It was the middle of the night now as she walked across a forest. Moon would peak once in a while from the clouds. Cold light glimmered on her headband. Why was she still wearing it? Maybe from habit.

What concerned her was five heavy heartbeats that suddenly appeared in her range.

“Here we go again,” she whispered stopping in her tracks. The girl wondered what village it will be this time. 

Sakura turned to the left as two kunai brushed past her. Then she jumped as the paper bombs attached to them exploded. First thing illuminated by the explosion she saw was the masks.

Finally, Konoha decided to act. Always so slow, she thought avoiding a tanto blade. As she landed, four shinobi stood before her. The last one was behind them. She recognized the chakra.

“Long time no see, senpai,” she smirked under her mask. Before the man could answer, the four started to attack again.

“Well how rude to interrupt our conversation,” she tsk’ed her tongue and that was enough. Four shinobi froze in place.

“Saku…” Genma finally acknowledged her as he took off his mask.

“Came for a spar?” she asked tilting her head slightly. Their eyes met. Sakura could see that he was conflicted. “Hmm, maybe you need a little... Push?”

There were dozens of ways how she could go about it, but Sakura wanted to make a point. And what could do it better if not four heads flopping to the ground with the bodies they were attached a moment ago turned into mush? Yes, she used the Blood Pull technique again.

Maybe that was a wrong choice, as Genma now stood frozen in shock.

“Don’t make it boring for me, Genma,” she snickered and leaped towards him.

Eventually, the man got it together and started to fight back. He was good when he fought seriously. She got nicks here and there from his senbon. The fight overall was something she needed. Targets could not fight back as a comrade could.

“You were holding back on me, Pinky,” Genma yelled as he tried to dodge her chakra enhanced hits.

“You have no idea,” she laughed sending another attack his way.

“You are still wearing the headband!” he yelled making Sakura stop for a second. She glanced down. Right… when her clone did it, the effects did not appear on her real self.

“Huh. You are right! It’s missing something….” she muttered as her hand reached for a kunai. After swiveling it in her palm, she made a quick slash, and then there was silence. She was really really _really_ a missin-nin now as the mark across Konoha symbol entailed.

“Where were we?” she snapped back her attention at Genma and attacked once more. 

Sakura was not the same kid Genma used to spar with. She was faster, stronger. She was ruthless. In an hour the man was launched across the trees and landed with a heavy thud on the ground.

Sakura approached him and crouched by his side. Her hands started to glow green as she healed his broken bones.

“What… what are you doing?” he croaked through gritted teeth.

“Patching you up, stupid, then we can go for a round two!” Sakura was chipper as she mended the last of his injuries.

Slowly Genma got back on his feet and they continued to fight. By the sunrise, the man was back on the floor. Sakura was slightly panting. Mostly because a lot of her chakra was already depleted from the blood technique she used and then the little healing session.

“You’re done. Send my regards to Tsunade as you present her with her shinobi heads. She better know now that I was serious with my promise,” Sakura turned to leave. Her muscles were pleasantly exhausted.

“Wait! Pinky! Why? Why are you doing this?” she stopped.

“You know, Genma, I don’t wanna die. I sometimes wish I was never born at all...” she added looking up at the sky.

“Saku, please… don’t do this…”

“It is already done. You just decide who you are, who you wanna be and you hold on to that. Ride it out until it all makes worth it,” she considered if this would be a good enough excuse. But was it an excuse? This all was her decision after all.

Sakura left on foot not too worried about being followed. Genma was not in shape to do anything now. She needed rest too. Approaching a beach, her gaze looked over the vast ocean. Sunrise was coloring the surface in crimson read.

“Ain’t I popular today,” she smirked, with a little bit of bitterness in her tone. Someone else was approaching her. She sat down on the sand and waited as the steps rustled closer behind her. Sakura glanced over her shoulder.

“Maaa, Itachi-kun, came for a checkup?” her eyes were smiling a trademark Kakashi eye crinkle at the pair. 

Kisame laughed loudly as he pat Itachi on the back. Sakaru was looking somewhere at the man’s neck as she avoided his eyes. If Akatsuki was after her, a dumb act won’t save her this time.

“Told ya so!” shark man still snickered about some inside joke likely.

“You again. You know who I am?” Itachi’s voice was reminiscent of Sasukes but far more calm and cold. 

“Yeaaah, we just keep bumping into each other, huh?” she tilted her head. Well, nobody will stop her for at least trying to put on an act.

“Answer my question.”

Sakura rolled her eyes. So angsty. You would think a man would grow up a bit left on his own. Of course, this _is_ the first time she had an actual chance to speak with Itachi properly. Maybe he is more like Kakashi -stick-up-his-ass-prodigy turned to emotionally-unstable-idiot.

“You Uchiha have unmistakable angst and ‘I hate the world’ vibe going on,” Sakura shrugged. Itachi clearly didn’t appreciate her relaxed behavior as he appeared in less than an instant before her. Red eyes shining with spinning tomoe.

Instinctively she closed her eyes. At least she could still feel his heart beating. Yet fighting was not something she really wanted to do. It was too late. That one moment was enough for him to put Sakura inside his Tsukuyomi.

Sakura looked around at the endless red space.

“Shit... “

“What was that?” his voice sounded behind her left ear. Sakura didn’t flinch. Kakashi’s ‘surprise’ popups actually paid off.

“My hair really clashes with this red color,” she sighed. Then without any warning, a katana went through her belly and out. Itachi waited for her reaction in vain. She didn’t even consider this as pain anymore.

“How do you know me?”

“I tend to remember people who don’t kill me even when their logic would suggest against leaving a witness.”

“So it was you back then,” he spoke as his hand twisted the blade. Sakura clenched her jaw.

“What do you want from me, Itachi-kun?” she decided to act sweet again. A wrong choice, as a second Itachi stabbed her chest.

“Fuck! Right in my tit,” she hissed and chuckled at her own joke. What else could you do in a situation like this? Sakura was not afraid of death. She could endure pain. She could wait him out. Sharingan was a double-edged sword and it will give out before she does.

It felt almost like death. Her consciousness faded, but then it was all back in focus. Itachi stood in front of her with another blade in his hand. Sakura was about to speak when he stabbed her again.

“Really? You could have just asked and I would have healed you again,” she puffed out pretending that she didn’t know why he was here. Alright, she actually didn’t know but it was probably because of Naruto or Sasuke. Like always.

“Why did you leave Konoha?”

“They said I was crazy, so I went a lil’ crazy on them, to illustrate a point,” technically not a lie. Itachi stabbed her again. “Oh, I didn’t know you were a sadist, Itachi-kun! How kinky of you,” she chuckled coughing out blood.

“Don’t test me. You will tell me the truth.”

She didn't. No matter how many times he stabbed and tortured her, Sakura kept up with her lies. Image was everything. Eventually, she became silent as he continued with the repeating torture. Naturally, she was now in her self-preservation mode. Mind blank and just enduring the pain without letting any emotion out.

It probably was a few days when they snapped back to reality. Sakura plopped onto the sand and heaved heavily. There were dark circles around her eyes.

"Itachi, why don't you kill the pink girly already?" Kisame spoke somewhere from a distance. The man next to her probably nodded as he sent a kunai her way - straight to the heart. When hit, Sakura's body melted into salty water. She actually barely made it in time to create a clone and replace her body with it. 

The girl emerged from the ocean water and stood on top of it slightly swaying.

"Why don't you not maybe? Really, I am _haaarmless_. My death will achieve nothing," she said not bothering to yell. Shinobi like those two could hear her every word even if it were a whisper.

"You see, pinky, you we've been stealing our bounties," the shark man explained as if speaking with a child.

"Pffft, then you should have done a better job yourself," she pouted. Honestly, what a stupid reason to kill someone? Were Akatsuki that desperate? They turned out to be an even more pathetic bunch than she initially thought.

Before Sakura could say anything else, a big shark appeared beneath her in the water and swallowed her whole. That was just rude. Sakura was so done with the two. In an instant, she activated her Yin seals. Black lines covered her skin and the shark practically disintegrated around her from the chakra she pushed outside of her body.

Sakura jumped back pretending to attack Kisame, but instead the very last moment she jumped away and tried to run for it. Unsuccessfully, as Itachi appeared in front of her. He drove a kunai to her abdomen. She didn't even flinch.

"That again, I thought we already talked about your perversion," she kicked at him. Itachi leaped back and her wound instantly healed. Then Kisame joined in swinging his huge sword at her. Oh oh. She could not allow herself to be touched by it even once - her chakra reserves were not that huge to withstand it. The freakin sword ate chakra after all. Kisame quickly understood her tactics and whistled.

If it weren't for the recent fight with Genma, she might have stood longer against those two. But in her current completely exhausted state, Sakura shortly fell from the damn sword. Her chakra was almost completely gone. The two men stood next to her unconscious body.

"Should we bring leader-sama the head or something?" the shark man asked.

"Hn. Maybe not. She is a healer. We could have more use out of her if she is alive," Itachi decided as he picked up the girl to his arms. The man was surprisingly gentle in the way he held her.

Kisame couldn’t tell what his partner was planning, but he was all for a bit of anarchy and chaos. The pink devil was sure to stir up their monotone life in Ame.

━━━━━━━━━━


	41. Interview

Somewhere along the way, Itachi gave the girls body to Kisame, so his partner could keep draining her ever recovering chakra reserves. They already disobeyed the leader’s orders by keeping her alive, so they didn’t need the girl causing trouble. Which, Itachi had no doubts, Saku would cause if she were awake.

They were lucky, that Konoha nin showed up. From a distance, they watched how Saku toyed with them before _exploding_ four shinobi without much effort. Itachi was livid because his sharingan couldn’t copy or even detect the technique she used!

Torture helped with his anger, but it was not too fun when Saku refused to react or yell. Or plead for her life. Very much like the first time they met, she was completely fine with dying at his hand. Uchiha had to wonder if she had _any_ self preservation at all.

Another reason why he left her alive. She was interesting. She had a technique hidden from his eyes. She was a healer and a good one, as she proved the last time she healed him. She was a comrade… He really didn’t want to kill a child of Konoha.

━━━━━━━━━━

Pain was not amused. It felt like deja vu seeing Itachi yet again bring him a target alive and well, when he explicitly ordered to kill her. 

“Itachi. We already talked about this when you brought Hidan back,” he eyed two men standing before him.

“Hidan turned out to be a good asset. I believe, that Saku Haruno has potential.”

“Explain.”

“She is a healer. Already healed me once, so I can testify for her abilities.”

“Oh, and you should have seen how she killed a bunch of Konoha nin, Leader-sama!” Kisame pitched in as he placed still unconscious Saku on one of the chairs.

“Hmmm, so she defected from Konoha?”

“Yes, Leader-sama. When we tracked her down, we witness how five ANBU from the Leaf tried to kill her. She is also mentioned in Bingo Books of Konoha, Suna, and Kumo,” Itachi reported as if it was some regular mission.

“What are her combat skills?”

“Mostly water release mixed with ninjutsu. Kenjutsu. She also seems to know of Yin release, but I have not seen a seal mark on her,” Pain curved his eyebrow in a questioning manner as Itachi continued to speak.

“How thoroughly did you check?”

“...” Itachi was not sure how to answer that. He did check in Tsukuyomi but there is no telling of how Yin seal works for others besides Tsunade.

“Yeah, Itachi, how far _did_ you check while the two of you were in Tsukuyomi?” Kisame enjoyed this situation way more than he should, considering he also disobeyed the Leader’s orders. Itachi checked, yes, but not _that_ thoroughly, as Kisame so helpfully implied.

“Leader-sama, I think she will be a good replacement for Orochimaru.”

“Hmm. You are dismissed for now,” Pain finally said as his gaze shifted towards the girl. Uchiha did everything he could. Akatsuki was in need of skilled shinobi. Especially, shinobi who do not hesitate to attack Konoha. That should be enough to keep her alive.

━━━━━━━━━━

Chakra exhaustion was worse than a hangover. Sakura blinked herself to existence feeling tingling pain all over her chakra coils. A distant sound of rain against the glass reached her ears. She looked around carefully to see a very tidy office looking room with floor-length windows.

Behind a wide desk sat a painfully familiar figure of Pain. Piercings, orange hair, and all. He was scribbling away on a parchment, ignoring her presence completely. Carefully, Sakura checked her reserves. They were almost depleted!

She almost cursed aloud but thought against it. Pain didn’t have a heartbeat. She would have a hard time fighting him if it came to that. Maybe that is why it took so long for the girl to notice, that there was even a hand placed on her shoulder. She realized, that the person, standing behind her, was sucking her chakra out. _The bastard_.

Sakura sighed relaxing in her seat and waited. In the worst case, Pain will try to kill her. In the best case, he will force _her_ to kill someone.

“Saku Haruno. You are hindering the work of Akatsuki,” the man finally spoke, without looking at her.

“Yo?” she tried to greet him, but as there was no response, she decided to answer the non-question question. “Mmm, I was just minding my own business?”

“Hmm. Why would a young child like yourself leave the _good_ village of Konoha?” the sarcasm in that one was laid heavily.

“Pfft. Why do people insist, that Konoha is such a good village?” she crossed her arms pretending to take his words seriously. That got Pain's attention. He slowly raised his head and looked her right in the eyes. She probably won’t be able to lie much in front of him.

“I wonder that too. Do you know who I am?”

“Mmm, the big bad wolf?” she couldn’t restrain a sly smile that spread behind her mask. The hand on her shoulder tightened, making her cringe from mild discomfort.

“I am no animal. What I am is a God,” he said completely serious. Wow, the guy was even more delusional than Naruto had told her many years ago.

“Okay, wolf-sama?” Sakura almost fainted as the person behind her took a larger portion of her practically nonexistent chakra. Pain would probably sigh if he had to breathe in the first place.

“What treason did you commit against Konoha?”

“I pretended to be a boy for many years... And I kinda broke into private Hokage archives... And shared classified information with all shinobi of Konoha… And attacked the Hokage... And three commanders…” Sakura summed it up feeling almost like in the academy’s headmaster’s office. She wasn’t feeling guilty over her deeds, but when said out loud, they sounded worse than it actually was.

“Hmmm. How were you caught?”

“Chakra exhaustion revealed my gender…” here she was ashamed. Despite her skills, the abysmal reservoirs of chakra within her were hard to admit. But Pain was more focused on the things she didn’t say. The reasoning behind her initial actions.

“So why go to such lengths?”

“Because Konoha is rotten?”

“Explain.”

“In the archives, I found records of children being kidnapped and experimented on. Ordered by the Third Hokage,” she decided not to lie but also omitted the little detail about Itachi’s mission. He, no matter what sadistic pervert the guy was, still didn’t kill her, for the second time now.

“And now _you_ are hunted by the same comrades that you fought alongside. That is why the current shinobi society has to be changed. Where children would be safe from war and torture,” bullseye! Looks like she hit the sweet spot on the small shriveled part of Pain’s heart.

“Sure?”

“Itachi says you have skills as a healer.”

“Yes?” this sounded way too similar to the conversation she had with Orochimaru in the Forest of Death. In the back of her mind, Sakura fearfully felt where the man was going with it.

She was proven right when in a blink of an eye a metal rod appeared from Pain’s sleeve and shot through her body pinning her to the chair. She barely had time to move her inner organs, to avoid any mortal danger. Feeling lightheaded again, she hissed.

“You too, wolf-sama? What’s with men and impaling me with sharp objects?” she muttered under her breath trying not to move.

“Too?” Pain heard her words regardless.

“Itachi-kun, already had a stabbing fest with me today,” she huffed an answer. Honestly, no pain showed up in her face or eyes. By now she was _really_ used to it. What a coincidence to be stabbed so many times during one day? Kami forbid, Itachi intentionally did what he did to prepare her… wait… could he? Sakura had to reconsider her whole initial assumption of the man.

Meanwhile, Pain raised his hand and the rod came back to his open palm. Sakura’s wound healed instantly.

“Hmm, interesting,” he said looking her over as if the wound would reopen if he looked away. “My goal is to cleanse this world. You are either with me or against me.”

“Mmm… so you want to heal the world as if it has some kind of disease?”

“Yes, exactly.”

“Life cannot be cured. It can only be managed,” she rethored thinking it over. Nagato was talking much, he had a noble cause, but his actions... Well, they were less than noble.

“Hmm, I thought so as well for a while. But then my mind was clear with purpose. Saku, do you know who you are?”

Well, that was one loaded question. On the surface level, yes, she knew who she was - Saku Haruno, the missing-nin of Konoha. But underneath that, who exactly was she? Was she a hero? Probably not anymore. Was she a villain? It looked like it. Was she just a bringer of chaos? Very likely. But either way, Sakura didn’t know herself that much to have an answer to his question. Hell, this was exactly why she continued to live her second life. To find herself. Her true self.

“No, I don’t think I do,” she answered honestly.

“You have faced hard reality. Has it changed the way you think?”

“I… I don’t know,” it was getting embarrassing how stupid she felt in front of him. OR Pain was just gifted in tongues.

“What about your soul, has it changed?”

“Yes?”

“For our thoughts can be untouched by a hard reality, where is our bodies and souls must bump against the world. And the world will even up the equation over who we truly are.”

Sakura sat in silence thinking over his words. It would be a lie to say that her soul is the same, as it was not her body that changed when she was reborn. Her soul was the one to grow and mature. Learn. After spending so much time with Ravens, Sakura had a far better understanding of how soul differed from flesh and mind.

“I will shape you into your true form. Such a young mind, like yours, can still be saved. So are you with me or against me?”

“I'm not just one of your many toys. I live my life the way I want. I say and do whatever I please,” Sakura couldn’t swallow the bubble of anger that appeared in her head. WHO. THE. FUCK. HE. THINKS. HE. IS. TO. SAVE. ME. She yelled in her mind, keeping her face blank. Sakura already knew the answer - the asshole considered himself a god.

The logical and self-preservation part of her brain kicked in a bit too late, so she had only one way to salvage the situation. “But. If you pay me, I will do your bidding.”

“Money, is that all you want?” Pain looked not at all impressed, but Sakura smiled behind her mask and shook her head lightly.

”No. Bodies. Shinobi bodies,” there was a devilish excitement in the way she said it. _That_ got Pain’s attention back.

“Why?”

“I like to do _experiments_ ,” what she didn’t say, was that dead bodies were needed for her to find an effective way of killing him! There was something so ironic, about the perspective of Pain laying way to his own demise.

━━━━━━━━━━

When something beyond reason happens it turns skeptics into believers. Believers in a higher power. Sakura was starting to believe, but what kind of power did this? Saved her from Pain’s judgment. Saved her from Itachi’s bloodlust. Saved her from ANBU hunters.

Divine intervention. Akuma has some up his sleeve too. Some force out there wants Sakura to keep doing what she is doing. She was grateful even despite her confusion.

A second chance in life. A second chance in loyalty. A second chance to prove her worth. Sakura felt like it was a crossroad in her life. Either she kills Pain or joins him. Or she can do nothing and just watch as the world burns down.

At least the flames would keep her warm, she considered with a smile as Konan lead her to the depths of the Akatsuki hideout.

━━━━━━━━━━

Genma took a while to return back home. Not only his body, but his mind too was defeated. Saku killed without hesitation. But... BUT! When it came to fighting him, she was gentle, considerate. She was the Saku he knew.

Still battered and bloody Genma stood in front of Hokage as he presented the scroll with the remains of his team. Thankfully, he was dismissed before she opened it. Instead of going to the hospital, Shiranui retired to the dark corner of a shabby bar.

He didn’t hear how Tsunade yelled or the sound of breaking furniture. His ears were still buzzing. 

_It is already done…._

Saku sounded sad. She sounded like she already gave up. On him. On Konoha. On herself. And it pained Genma to realize just who she had become. The fierce pinky was now an enemy.

━━━━━━━━━━


	42. Amegakure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cannon divergence - Zetsu and Kaguya do not exist in this fiction. They are only myths in scrolls and nothing more.

Orochimaru lazily watched how Sasuke slaughtered the second wave of mindless soldiers. The boy was progressing well, but the more snake contemplated, the more he debated him as a potential body. He was in no hurry as the current body of his held out well even after the fight with Sarutobi. The change will be necessary in a year or so.

So why was he suddenly doubting his decision? The boy had potential, his eyes were not as damaged yet, but his mind... the unyielding will might cause him issues. The key to his technique is that the target has to be willing. Orochimaru was not sure if Sasuke would be so willing at the end of his training. The boy showed no devotion to him. Only pure hunger for power.

In the end, no one will ever be as worthy as his original form. If only there was a way to recreate his own body… Orochimaru hummed as he stood up and left to his lab. There was nothing impossible for him. He will find a way and Uchiha will be a backup in a time of need.

As the sannin sat down by his desk, he closed his eyes to collect his thoughts. Cells. Mutation. Aging to a specific point. Full body function. All the different things to take into account. Basically, he needed to make a clone of himself, that would not be just a technique based on chakra, but an actual body raised from cells.

Orochimaru leaned back carefully planning his steps when a memory appeared in his mind. A vision of the pink-haired woman on top of him as he sat back just like this. It has been quite some time since _that_ happened.

She didn’t contact him afterward or go to any of his hideouts. Saku was gone. Kabuto reported back the updates from Bingo Books of hidden villages, so she was doing just fine by the looks of it. More troubling was the information Kabuto got from spies in Konoha.

It appears that Saku actually attacked Tsunade. He wasn’t sure if she was just that confident in her skills or fearless beyond reason, but that little bit of information made him smile. Then there was that mysterious mention of alleged treason. No mention of what exactly happened. 

The snake had plenty of patience, but curiosity he had much more. So with an elegant movement of his hands, Orochimaru summoned a small snake.

“Fiiiind herrr,” he ordered and the white snake disappeared. He did not usually reach out first, but Saku was already an exception on so so many levels. Orochimaru made peace with his own unusual behavior when it came to the pink-haired woman. Now, he could act without any restraint.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura eyed the ring on her little finger of her right hand. It was green color matching her eyes. Well, at least she got that going for her. As for the symbol carved onto it… it was boar. Usually, it would mean fierceness and recklessness, and _fertility_. She was almost insulted when she first saw it.

Yet, Pain explained it as a symbol of gluttony, flexibility, strong conviction, and will. Like a bamboo that can bend back and forth but never break. When she asked, Pain also said that the origin of the ring is unknown. A lot of things to speculate about, but not like she could refuse him now.

That is how Sakura eventually put the ring on and was instructed how to connect to his mind with it. She smirked. That was almost like a telephone from her future time.

“This will be your quarters,” Konan said as she opened a door. Inside the room was as bare as the whole hideout. Not like Sakura cared too much about decor in the first place. At least there were huge floor-length windows here as well. The feeling of space and constant sight and sound of rain was also soothing. 

“Wolf-sama, said I can use your lab?” that is a far more interesting part of the hideout for Sakura. She hoped to find some of Orochimaru’s old research there. Besides the equipment for her own experiments.

“Wolf..sama?” Konan’s eyes got barely any wider, but besides that, she was as expressional as Pain himself.

“Oh, yeah, that’s a little thing between me and _Leader_ -sama,” Sakura winked at her guide as she implied there being things that Pain did not share with Konon. Might as well plant a seed of doubt between them.

Konan didn’t answer as she lead the way underground, where supposedly the labs were located.

“We operate in teams of two,” the woman finally spoke.

“Okay?”

“ **I** work with Leader-sama. Itachi-san works with Kisame-san as you already noticed. Sasori-san works with Deidara-san. Kakuzu-san works with our other newest member Hidan-san,” she listed the very familiar names to Sakura.

Dear old Sasori. She might have to kill him yet again. But it was such an embarrassing hassle the last time… Nah, no chance in Yomi, she would bother with him again. Fuck Sasori. Another pathetic man with mommy and daddy issues.

“Soo… who will I work with?” Sakura asked curiously.

“Well, as you already know, Orochimaru left the organization and we have not replaced him. So for now, you will work with different teams depending on the assignments. You are a healer correct?”

“Yeah. By the looks of _Itachi-kun_ you didn’t have one present since _Orochimaru-kun_ ,” the way she referred to her fellow Konoha defectors was with warmth. Konon did not blink an eye. Very impressive.

“Yes. You are right. We will require your abilities. I will get you tomorrow to look at… _someone_ ,” Nagato’s name was left unsaid. “Chem, here we are.” 

Sakura entered into the darkness without any fear or reservations. Konan turned on the light behind her.

“Perfect!” Sakura’s eyes were already glimmering with excitement. Equipment and the whole setup was reminiscent of the ones she saw in Orochimaru’s hideouts. Clearly designed and arranged by the man himself. Just as she imagined!

“Also, when outside of Amegakure, you must wear our cloaks. You will find one in your room, Saku-san.”

“Thank you. Oh, by the way, are you and Wolf-sama a thing?”

“...what?”

“Are you two a pair? Or just fuck?” Sakura was blunt, but with Konan, you could not do much else. The woman was finally phased as she stood still and unblinking.

“No… I am the loyal servant of our God and savior Leader-sama!”

“Oh. So he is single then?”

“...what?”

“I have needs,” Sakura shrugged nonchalantly. “He looks like he’s into some kinky stuff in bed. I cannot deny, that my curiosity is _touched_ ,” she may or may not be referring to that little stab the man did back in his office. Sakura intentionally ignored how she seemed to develop an attraction towards men who intentionally hurt her.

“Show respect to our Leader-sama! He would never… he is above such mortal desires!” yeah, Konan was clearly poked in the wrong way.

“Oh. Well, if _you_ say so. I’ll take your word for it,” and to finish off, Sakura gave the woman her stolen eye crinkle smile. “I guess I’ll have to find someone outside the village then.”

“ _Yes_ , you better do that, Saku-san,” Konon nodded effectively giving Sakura permission to leave and well… have fun with someone, who may or may not be a Legendary Snake sannin.

━━━━━━━━━━

Amegakure was gray. From what Sakura could see from the windows, there were barely any trees out there. Not even talking about the constant haze of rain. Honestly, she loved the rain. Felling water all around made her feel safe.

That is how Konan found her the next morning. Just standing by the window, cloaked in her new clouded attire. She didn’t bother to button up. A year ago she would have appreciated the cloak for hiding her body. Now, Sakura was confident and open about who she was. She wondered if it was her encounter with Orochimaru that gave her confidence.

“Good morning, Saku-san. Please follow me,” Konan said. And so they left into the maze of corridors and stairs. Eventually, they stopped in front of two big doors. 

“Go in.”

Sakura nodded and pushed on ahead. What she found inside was… bizarre. There was the redhead Nagato she expected, but the man was in a… wooden barrel? There were many rods sticking out of his back and cables connected to the weird apparatus.

“Yo,” she greeted him casually. Come to think of it, this is not the weirdest thing she ever had to see. In Orochimaru’s labs alone there were more wicked contraptions with specimens inside.

“You may approach, but if you try anything other than healing, you will die,” he rasped out as his eyes bore into her skulls without blinking.

Sakura gave a nod and proceeded with her examination while carefully watched by the man’s eyes. Oh, he was in a horrific state. It was hard to tell where to even start with him.

“Hmm, I will start head down,” she thought it wise to mention before actually starting to heal him. Sakura could kill him here, but she wasn’t feeling… _the moment_. No, if she does it, she will do it right. When Nagato can fight back. She will kill him with honor. 

First, Sakura healed his eyes. Similar to sharingan, they too showed extensive deterioration from constant use. Then she funneled her chakra fully into his mind. There was nothing obviously wrong there, but it felt… off. As if the organ was cloudy or tense. 

She did what she could without knowing what actually was going on there, but after she was done, Nagato’s mind felt like it was more relaxed and calm. 

“Wolf-sama, you know you have to eat right?” she said innocently as her chakra moved down his body.

“...”

“I will tell Konon-san, that you are not eating,” she continued to talk with a teasing voice. “Hey, you know, girls like some meat on the bone,” she winked at him. Nothing. No reaction.

“Soooo, Wolf-sama, are you single?”

“...what?” a disturbingly similar reaction to the one Konan gave her. Sakura sighed.

“Nothing. I actually already promised Konan-san, not to steal you away from her,” she giggled ignoring the mild confusion in the man’s eyes.

Thirty minutes later Sakura finally lowered her hands, sweat dripping from her forehead. There was much to mend and restore, but for now, it had to be enough. Nagato already looked far less deadly pale than before.

“Alright, that’s it for today. I will have to check tomorrow just how quickly the damage appears again,” she said in her medic voice.

“So your healing is not effective enough to keep its effects?”

“No! My healing is exemplary, thank you very much! The thing is, that _this_ ,” she pointed at the contraption, “is doing harm to you and now I cannot tell just how much of it is done over how much time. Knowing the amount over time will allow me to find a more permanent solution as I assume stopping the technique you are using is not an option,” she explained, still feeling a bit insulted.

“Yes, it is not. You are dismissed for now,” he finally said. His eyes stared far less intense in her direction, but nonetheless, still tracked her every move unblinking. 

Sakura left to find Konon just outside the room. As promised, she tattletaled on the redhead.

“Wolf-sama is skipping meals! Make sure he eats regularly. Force him if you have to,” it was not a plea, but an order, and Sakura had no shame in pushing around the woman who was apparently far higher in the food chain of Akatsuki.

━━━━━━━━━━

Some hours later, Sakura ran into her two _friends_.

“Yo, shark man,” she greeted Kisame who was lounging on a sofa, while Itachi was by the table reading a book. 

“Pinky! You’re alive!” the man jumped to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders like they were some old friends. “Sooooo? How do you like it here?”

“This villain lair you mean?”

“Nah-ah! It’s not a villain _lair_ , it’s a villain _home_!”

Shit. Sakura actually laughed at that. Kisame was pleased.

“Yeah, I guess it’s pretty cool here. Rain is very relaxing,” she shrugged and moved towards Itachi. “Time for a check-up, _Itachi-kun_!” she chirped. Yes, she actually was not faking that. Sakura did feel relaxed and surprisingly happy. No matter what plot Akatsuki had or that any member could kill her, they _needed_ her. They appreciated her.

Also, this was not Konoha. That fact alone put the girl at ease. There were no hidden agendas or plots. She knew they could kill her, they knew she could kill them. Everything was out in the open. You did not have to guess or pretend. It was simply liberating.

Itachi put away his book and closed his eyes as Sakura started her diagnostics. The man was in better shape than last time. He probably did follow her advice and visited an actual hospital!

“Aww, you were a good boy, weren’t you, Itachi-kun?” she smiled under her mask as her chakra healed minor injuries he still had. Uchiha said nothing. She will break him one day.

━━━━━━━━━━


	43. Goals

Sakura was not wrong, Amegakure was gray. She was proven right the next day as she explored the city. But despite the lack of colors, people looked happy. They were friendly too, regarding her cloak with respect. Sakura really could get used to that.

She walked along the streets admiring little stores and shops. Right away, she found a nice bar with ice-cold sake. Delicious and refreshing. Patrons of the establishment did not hesitate to speak with her about how great their leader and the angel were to the city. Angel? She guessed they were talking about Kona, as they mimicked towards paper figurines of an angel with blue hair and a rose. Pretty obvious, if you ask her.

The village already felt like home. Maybe it would not change even if she kills Pain? Or maybe not. He was a fierce leader that kept order and peace. There was no telling what his successor would do. Worst case, the land would be claimed by one of the bigger nations. That, Sakura was not going to let happen.

In the afternoon, she returned back to headquarters and went straight to her new lab. She made a clone to clean up the place, while her real self went over leftover paperwork from Orochimaru’s research. The notes were sparse and out of order, but the information, any information, would come in handy for her future goals.

She sat down and closed her eyes concentrating. There was much to do and no telling how much time she had. The first order of business was to address her chakra issue. Far too long it has been her main disadvantage. She already enhanced her reserves size as much as she could. There had to be other options she could consider…

Then, there came the whole issue of Pain and Tobi. To combat Nagato she would definitely need a technique effective against dead bodies. As for Tobi… she has not seen him yet, nor did she want to meet him at all. There was always an option to ignore him, but Sakura had a hunch that the man would approach her either way. She was not in his plans so he might want to _remove_ her.

Lastly, there was Orochimaru. The snake of the future and her past. The man who so rudely summoned her. She did not forget about it. And she had a revenge plan in mind.

“Alright, much to do,” she exhaled and summoned her raven.

“ **KRA! Long time no see Pinky!** ” Mokuhi perched on her desk.

“Say, Mokuhi, how are you with getting underground?”

“ **I am a raven, not a worm,** ” he clapped back, but his little head cocked with curiosity.

“And what if there would be a dead flesh to get to?”

“ **Sounds yummy! KRA!** ”

“Good. Listen up, I will need you to bring me some dead flesh,” she smirked with mischief. “You will have to get to Konoha’s graveyard,” she explained going more into detail of who she wanted him to collect.

“ **Sounds fun,** ” the bird agreed to take on this task. As instructed, he disappeared back to Ankoku to travel from there. Sakura was not yet ready to reveal her summon in Amegakure as the rain would surely detect him.

Now Sakura could start working on her chakra. She **needs** more chakra. It takes way too long for chakra to be restored when it is used up. There was an option to experiment with artificial reserves similar to Yin seals, but it was not reliable as she learned a while back. Plus, the drawback of life expectancy being cut in half was not tempting.

“If I cannot increase my reserves effectively and permanently without drawbacks…” then it dawned on her. Sakura sat straight, eyes wide open. “THEN I must increase the speed of my chakra recovery!”

As far as she knows, there was no information on anyone even attempting such an idea. Of course, clan shinobi and powerful shinobi with vast reserves were not concerned or bothered by this issue.

In theory, it should be doable, but in practice, Sakura had no idea where to even start. Thankfully, her rational mind kicked in. First, how is the chakra gathered in the first place? Second, how long does it take to recover? Third, what affects recovery? Fourth, can she permanently affect chakra recovery speed or does it have to be a technique like Naruto’s sage mode? 

Questions allowed the girl to focus and devise a plan. Now she only needed a way to lose her chakra quickly. And someone to test her ideas on.

“Hmm, I wonder if Kisame is in?” she smirked standing up ready to go look for the man. As for test subjects, Pain already promised her bodies. A nice perk. Saves her the hassle.

Sakura left the lab and went to Pains office first. She knocked waiting for a response before going inside.

"Wolf-sama," she greeted him with a smile instead of her usual 'Yo'.

"Yes?" behind the desk sat the same dead body of a man she saw her first day.

"You remember our deal? The bodies for my experiments?"

"Yes. Tell me how many you need and they will be in your lab," he answered casually as if they were making an order for kunai.

"I need two civilians and two shinobi. One alive one dead of each."

"Alright. You will get them in a few days. What will you experiment on them?"

"Chakra."

"Explain."

"I want to test how chakra is generated in different bodies," there was no harm in telling him that. And if she would do some extra experiments on the dead bodies, he didn't have to know.

"What are you trying to achieve by that?"

"I want to increase my chakra reserves," she shrugged nonchalantly. "You probably already noticed how small they are," that she said with a minor pout.

"Yes, I did. Is that all?"

"Yes! Thank you, Wolf-sama! You're the best!" she chirped cheerfully and left to hunt down her next target.

Sakura found Kisame in one of the training grounds. The man was sitting cross-legged on the surface of a small pond in the middle. His sword laid on the shore by a rock. She paused waiting for him to react, but Kisame kept his eyes closed. Well, not like she needed him per se.

Confidently she walked towards the sword and crouched next to it. Sakura considered taking it by the handle but changed her mind. She didn't have to wield the sword to get her chakra eaten. Carefully she reached for the blade instead. Barely touching it, Sakura noticed how her chakra started to deplete.

"Oy! Pinky! You know that my sword could kill you, right?" Kisame appeared next to her without making a sound. The bastard was as quick as Itachi.

"Yup. But I only need to get rid of 90% of my chakra," she responded as her mind kept close track of her reserves. 90. 85. 70. 55. 35. 30. 11. She was just in time to retract her arm before the sword took away any more of her chakra. Sweat was going down her neck.

"Mmm, okay? Are you alright?" the man almost sounded worried.

"Jup, peachy!" she gave him Guy worthy thumbs up. Kisame laughed loudly and the sound of it echoed over the area.

"And why are you doing this?"

"Oh just thought your sword was due for a feeding."

"Mhm. How considerate of you," he chuckled obviously going with her ridiculous explanation.

"Alright, see ya, shark-man," she stood up and waved before leaving.

"Oy! Wait, so you are not going to tell me why you are doing this?"

"Nop."

"And should I expect you to do it again?"

"Yup."

"You're crazy, girly," he laughed as she walked away.

━━━━━━━━━━

It was a productive day overall. Sakura returned to her room only deep in the night. The rain was still pouring heavily outside. She stood by the window for a moment admiring the blurred lights of the city below. 

Checking her chakra reserves, Sakura noticed that they barely recovered. So slow. On the other hand, there was much room to improve. So that is that.

The girl stretched before hedging to her bedroom. By the doorway, she stopped in place. Only now did she notice a tiny heartbeat coming from her bed. With a kunai in hand, she slowly approached not making a sound. 

She could sense only the tiniest bit of chakra, but a shinobi would probably have hidden it completely. The issue was the size of the heart. Judging from its tiny beats, the creature had to be a small animal.

Still on guard, Sakura pulled the covers to reveal a white snake coiled up in the middle. Relaxing and letting out the breath she was holding in, Sakura sat down on the bed and stretched her hand carefully towards it.

The snake lifted its tiny head and a forked tongue tasted the air between them. The snake didn’t attack, so Sakura proceeded to gently stroke white scaly skin.

“Well hello there, little one. What are you doing here?” she asked hoping that it was a summon and not some random reptile taking refuge in her bed.

“Meeeeettttt,” the snake hissed. So it was a summon. Sakura smirked and lowered her mask. Leaning even closer she looked right into the red pupils.

“Awww, miss me already? Hah, fine. I shall be in the south hideout in… eight days?” she suggested.

The snake only nodded as a response. Sakura gave it a couple more pets before pulling away. The white creature plopped on the ground and slithered towards the bathroom. Ah, so he used pipes, she guessed. 

Now she only needed to not be on a mission in eight days. Her mind already worked imagining why Orochimaru would call for her. Did he already know about her being an Akatsuki? Possible. Did he want something from her? Likely. Was that something involving their naked bodies tangled together? Maybe, but that was sure what Sakura had in mind. And she was determined to get her _fix_.

━━━━━━━━━━

A couple of days passed since she got Orochimaru’s message and her mind was constantly imagining different scenarios involving the sannin. She absentmindedly wandered around the hideout until her feet took her to one of the training grounds.

The sound of clashing metal brought her back to reality. She looked around to notice only one figure standing in the middle. Stoic and cold as usual, Uchiha was surrounded by dozens of kunai in all directions on the ground.

“Yo,” she greeted him and turned to leave. They were not on the same level to train together. Nor did they both wanted to, she assumed.

“Wait, Saku-san,” she heard Itachi’s calm voice right from behind her. The bastard was always so silent and quick it made her back a shiver. He was a true prodigy, no doubt. Sakura turned around and gave him an eye crinkle smile.

“Yeeeees, Itachi-kun?”

“You smell of snake,” oh. Maybe she should have washed her sheets, Sakura wondered.

“Hmmm, not surprising, considering how much time I spend in _his_ former lab,” she shrugged ready to leave this dangerous topic.

“Hn.”

Ah, the Uchiha language she definitely hadn’t missed.

“Anything else?” she curled her eyebrow, as the man showed no sign of leaving.

“Tell me, Saku-kun. What happened in Konoha? I noticed there had been… a change in the past half a year.”

She paused for a moment considering what exactly was he referring to.

“Well, Tsunade is the new Hokage?” she offered.

“Hn. Anyone else new?”

Sakura really couldn’t tell where he was getting at with that question. Who else could there be new? Chunin? No, he wouldn’t care about that… Ohhhh… the council! She didn’t realize that Itachi kept such tabs on the village. There was also a possibility that he kept in touch with the ones who knew about his… predicament. Sakura smirked under her mask.

“Oh? I don’t know. Who else could there be new in the village? Or not be in the village anymore? Hmmmm...” she tapped a finger to her chin in a contemplative manner. 

Itachi was having none of that. In a second his eyes were blazing red and she found herself back in Tsukuyomi. This time, however, she was not bound or tied up.

“Aww, Itaaaachi-kun, you know I can heal myself in real life? You don’t have to use Tsukuyomi if you want to get your _fix_ ,” she giggled fully expecting to be stabbed again. He didn’t.

“Tell me. I know you know what I am talking about.”

“Well if you know, then why are you asking in the first place?”

“What happened? Why were they all replaced?” her hunch was confirmed, he was definitely talking about the council. Sakura exhaled, dropping her sweet act.

“The whole village knows. They all know why you did what you did, Itachi-kun. And the council paid for their decision.”

There was a mild micro expression tsunami on the man’s face. Schock. Realization. Fear. More sock. Panic. Aww, he was almost cute when he acted like a normal human being and not a dead puppet.

“Sasuke?”

“Yup. He knows too. All shinobi of the village found out when Tsunade was inaugurated,” she glossed over the small detail on _how_ they all found out. “You can go home, Itachi-kun. I have no doubt that Tsunade would accept you with open arms,” she said sincerely with a bit of bitterness.

Of course, they would accept an Uchiha. He was an asset no massacre could deem unfit for duty.

“I have no home.”

“So, you want to tell me that even now you were not trying to report back your findings about Akatsuki?” the man eyed her carefully not confirming or denying her assumption.

“Will you tell Pain?”

“Why would I?”

“You are Akatsuki now.”

“So are you.”

“Are you working for Konoha?”

Sakura sincerely laughed at that. Wow. If only…

“Yeah, no. They deemed me too crazy and unstable for shinobi duty. So I attacked the Hokage. And ANBU commander. And Jonin commander. And Ibiki got caught in it too,” she thought back, recalling the event in Tsunade’s office. Damn, that was fun.

“So, why not then? Pain will kill you too if he finds out.”

“It’s none of my business. Honestly, I am here only for the lab,” she admitted.

“Saku. You are throwing your life away. You will die with Akatsuki.”

“Hmm, I am not really afraid of death. You should know that by now,” she said her eyes tired looking at him straight in the eyes.

“Being part of Akatsuki, you are throwing your life at a brick wall until that wall is still there, but your bones are broken and your body is a mush.”

“You may be right, but I am already broken beyond repair, so Akatsuki won’t do much to me.”

“Akatsuki is darkness. You can still save yourself from it.”

“Dark is nothing to be afraid of, Itachi-kun,” she shrugged. “In fact, I’d go as far as saying there’s nothing to be afraid of. Anywhere. The strongest person is the person who isn’t scared to be alone.”

“Hn.”

“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. And you can go on doing whatever you want, just like me. Yet, I would advise finding a better person to keep in contact with, rather than that child abuser Danzo.”

“What?”

“Oh. You didn't know? There was much more that was revealed alongside your _mission_. Looks like Danzo and Lord Third were kidnapping children for experiments and recruitment to Root.”

“That cannot be.”

“Really? Are you _that_ surprised? After a mission you received? Please, there was far more shady business going on. Oh, yeah, you probably should also know that Danzo harvested your clan's people's eyes after the incident. I have a suspicion that that was the actual goal behind your mission,” she voiced her thoughts. They were somewhat based on the records she read. But there was no other concrete reasoning behind the massacre except for the coupe.

He stood silent. Frozen in shock or deep thought.

“Don’t worry, I bet your little brother already has plans to hunt Danzo down,” Sakura smirked and that got the man back to the land of living from the depths of his mind.

Itachi didn’t even make a hand sign when a crow appeared from behind his cloak. Sakura waited, looking at the bird with suspicion.

“Take it. And keep it safe,” he said. Sakura shook her head.

“Nah ah, sorry, Itachi-kun. I cannot do that.”

“Take it. This crow has Shisui Uchiha’s eye. I trust you to keep it safe.”

“Yeah… okay? But I cannot take your crow. I have a feeling it would be insulting from my position…”

“Why?”

Sakura sighed. She really didn’t want to do this, but the situation asked for it. Carefully, she extended her arm where her summoning tattoo was, now visible under the red light of this dimension. She brushed her finger and a raven appeared by her side.

“I don’t think my ravens would appreciate me having a crow too,” she shrugged.

“Hn,” a mild surprise reflected in his features. “In that case, your raven can have the eye and keep it safe.”

“Why?” now it was Sakura’s turn to eye him carefully. “Why would you give me something that important to you? You barely know me.”

“I know you are not evil. I know you are not working for Pain’s goals. I would even guess that you are looking for a way to kill him, are you not?”

Damn. He still _is_ a genius. She paused stunned. The trust he had in her… it was overwhelming. Her heart clenched knowing she could have done more to save his people… to prevent things.

“Alright…” her voice was weak as she said it.

Itachi proceeded to take out the sharingan eye from his crow and plant it in her raven. The birds did not react at all to this exchange. Maybe it wasn’t so unusual for their kind. Probably their masters asked to do weirder things in the past…

“And Saku, alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.”

“Hn.”

━━━━━━━━━━


	44. Bloody Money

Sakura’s first mission as an Akatsuki was decided! To no surprise for her, it was a hunt for a hefty bounty.

“You leave now and don’t kill each other,” that last part was heavily directed towards Kakuzu. The tall man let out something like a grumble in response.

“Fuck yeah! Come along, newbie bitch, I’ll show you a good time!” Hidan smiled like the crazy man he was. Sakura didn’t take to heart his words. As far as she heard, he was not intentionally trying to insult her. He was just a little _foolish_ to say it nicely.

“Yes, Wolf-sama,” she smiled sweetly at Pain before turning around to leave. Sakura had no time to waste. It just so happened that her meeting with Orochimaru was set for tomorrow. At first, she was almost ready to cancel, but then… Going on a mission is a perfect excuse to get out of the village and if she returns a bit later than her ‘team’ nobody would probably care.

She could always just blame Kakuzu. Sakura was almost sure he would try to kill her at one point or another… With those words, she dodged to the side. A wire flew past her with its sharp end threatening to pierce her.

“How annoying… I am stuck with two children…” Kakuzu muttered as he walked towards her. Sakura raised her eyebrow. A devilish smile stretched behind her mask.

“Kaku-kun, is it?” she blinked innocently. Her girly tone did not fit the killing intent in her eyes. “So it was you whose bounties I pouched?”

Ah, that did it. The man shut up glaring at her with daggers in his vivid green orbs. He said nothing. Hidan finally caught up with them. Ignoring the tall man that was killing her with his eyes, the immortal silver-haired devil wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Much like Kisame, but yet lacking the ‘gentle giant’ feel to it.

“Oy! Pinky, have you heard of our lord and savior Jashin?”

“Isn’t Pain-sama our _Lord_ and _Savior_?” she didn’t bother to hide her sarcasm. Hidan, much like her, had his own way of dealing with people. The only thing he cared about was his religion. So in that sense, the way both of them regarded Pain, or better to say, disregarded the Akatsuki leader, they were alike.

“Naaah! Whores be damned if I would betray my faith!”

“Okay…” she giggled as Hidan continued to ‘enlighten’ her about Jashin. The slaughter part - she could really go behind it. Kakuzu still complained as he trailed along a few meters away.

━━━━━━━━━━

Hidan reminded Sakura of Naruto - eternally devoted to his goal, chatty, jolly. Except with all the profanities, insane laughter moments, and overall sadomasochistic tendencies… and sexual innuendos. Sakura surprisingly liked his company.

While Kakuzu still tried to kill her a couple more times during their trip.

“Fuck me, you old shit! Don’t say a word, Hidan, I swear!” Sakura growled as a wire finally pierced her where her heart should have been. Hidan was crouching from laughter. In the last moment, Sakura actually moved her inner organs with her blood jutsu and so the wire went through harmless flesh.

“Oh, pinky, I could do you right here and now. Just don’t die too fast, I am not into that,” he managed to stammer out.

“How unfortunate that you died during a mission,” Kakuzu said with mirth as his wire returned under his sleeve.

“As if!” Sakura smirked herself standing straight again. She brushed the blood off her cloak as if it were dust. Actually, she didn’t want to leave any trace of her blood around Hidan. Just in case.

“What?” Kakuzu looked at her with anger. Ah, how dare she not be dead from his fuckin amazing technique. Yeah, you wish, she thought with malic.

“Yeah, sorry, buddy, I guess you’re stuck with two immortal teammates now. OR you are getting too old for this,” she laughed and Hidan joined in highly amused by their banter.

“Grrr!” Kakuzu looked feral. She was loving this!

“WAIT! WAIT!” suddenly Hidan jumped to his feet desperately looking between Kakuzu and Sakura. His eyes were wide, clearly, some genius idea had struck his precious mind. She cocked her head to the side in a questioning manner similar to Kakuzu who was also now distracted from his initial anger fit.

“YOU!” Hidan pointed an accusatory finger at his teammates. “You both wear masks! You both have green eyes! You both don’t die! You both hunt bounties for money! You are FUCKIN related, aren’t you!!! Kakuzu, my man, didn’t know you had a daughter?!! Won’t mind if I fuck around with her, won’t you?”

Sakura blinked. No way. She felt like another deja vu was happening right in front of her. Why were people so eager to assume things about her parentage?

“He is slightly dense, isn’t he?” Sakura turned to Kakuzu instead and asked calmly.

“Yes. Very much,” the man responded ignoring Hidan's antics.

━━━━━━━━━━

After that little revelation, somehow Kakuzu’s and Sakura’s displeasure towards each other disappeared as they found common disapproval for Hidan. At least he didn’t stab her again.

A day spent traveling they reached their target only in the morning. Sunrise colored the land around them. The morning fog was just settling on the grass. Sakura stood by Kakuzu’s side, while Hidan was making some kind of speech towards their enemies.

“Does he always take this long?” she sighed with exasperation.

“Yes.”

“Mind if I finish this now?”

“Please do,” Kakuzu was actually acting civil for once. Sakura at first wanted just to go in straight ahead and take care of the job fast, but Hidan beat her to it. He was about to finish his ritual when she extended her arm.

“ _Blood pull_!” she said with cold in her voice. Nine shinobi exploded into a mess of blood and flesh, while their target’s body fell to the ground dead and unscathed. Only drenched in blood, just like Hidan who was standing the closest to the enemy shinobi.

“WHAT THE FUUUCK???!!” he yelled with amazement and anger at the same time. Obviously, being interrupted sucked, but he could not just ignore the bloody masterpiece Sakura just made.

“That is efficient,” Kakuzu commented, carefully looking her over. “I might just consider taking your heart when I kill you.”

“Good luck with that,” she smiled at him with her eye crinkle expression. 

“DIDN’T YOU FUCKIN HEAR ME??? What the fuck, bitch???”

Sakura turned to Hidan and chuckled genuinely this time. “I thought you liked blood,” she practically cackled as the man wiped the blood from his face and took what suspiciously looked like a part of a thigh from his shoulder.

“Yeah, I fuckin’ do! SHIT. Pinky, I think I just fell in love,” his bloody smile looked even more insane now. Sakura couldn’t stop grinning in response.

“Alright boys, I’ll leave you the easy part of collecting the money. I have to collect some things too,” and by things, she most definitely meant hot steamy sex with an ex Akatsuki member.

“WAIT!” Hidan tried to yell after her, but Sakura already waived and jumped away. Kakuzu didn’t pay much attention as he was more interested in getting the money.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura leaped over the trees feeling high from the adrenalin of the recent fight. Thankfully she ended the fight when she did, or otherwise, she would be late for her _gettogether_. With a skip in her step, Sakura crossed the border to the Land of Sound. She stopped for a moment and took off her cloak.

Orochimaru would definitely know by now her affiliation with Akatsuki, but Kabuto and Sasuke didn’t have to be aware of it. Only the ring she could not take off as Pain would definitely notice. She _ate_ her cloak with slight amusement wondering just how much stuff she could hide in her mouth pouch.

In thirty minutes the girl was already going underground inside the hideout. She could felt a distant heartbeat and walked towards it.

“Yo,” it was Kabuto who she found in a lab-like room.

“Ah, you again. Haruno. Maybe if I would kill you now, you would stop interfering with our plans?” looked like the man was joking from his tone, but his eyes glimmered with a controlled killer instinct. He really could _try_ and kill her.

“Relax, silver fox, I was invited this time,” she smirked under her mask, arms crossed below her chest. She enjoyed watching how realization dawned in his eyes.

“I see. Well, Lord Orochimaru is not here,” he said casually, stepping closer to her.

“I’ll wait,” Sakura shrugged, not too worried. There was a time when she regarded Kabuto with fear and respect, but that was a loooong time ago.

“You are welcome to wait here. As a matter of fact, maybe I can help you?”

“I highly doubt it,” she chuckled. Her mind couldn’t even imagine Kabuto instead of Orochimaru. But the man was brave enough to lean closer to her eye level.

“Is that so? A shame,” he reached to cup her cheek probably testing how intimidated she would be. His hand was stopped mere inches away. Pale fingers held him by the wrist. Neither of the two noticed or reacted in time when Orochimaru appeared from thin air right behind Sakura.

“Weeeee do not toucccch what doesn’t belong to ussss, Kabuto,” the sannin hissed and a wider smile stretched on Sakura’s lips.

“Oh… since when?” the man muttered under his breath. She could see the fingers squeeze tighter around his wrist. Then he was let go.

“Ssssaku, you ssssmell of blood,” he said right next to her ear leaning closer from behind.

“Mhmm, couple shinobi just spontaneously exploded in my presence,” she explained with excitement that only a young girl like her could have while speaking of murder.

“Commmeeee, Saku, I have been waiting forrrrr you,” he didn’t comment further, but instead took her hand and led her away. That was surprisingly forward of him. Looks like Orochimaru was no longer confused or frazzled by her, Sakura wondered, as she allowed to be dragged away to the depths of the hideout.

They didn’t speak the whole time as they walked. Orochimaru didn’t let go of her hand and she didn’t mind it. At first, his skin felt cold, but quickly it warmed up, most likely from the warmth Sakura exuded.

Finally, they reached their destination. Orochimaru stopped in front of a door and opened it for her. She smirked. He was as gallant as ever. Inside, Sakura found herself in a surprisingly ordinary room. Bedroom, she judged noticing a bed by the wall. _Forward indeed._

Sakura didn’t mind this at all. She knew what she was coming here for, it only helped, that Orochimaru dropped his coy act. A lock clicked behind her. The door was now closed. Light from couple of candles didn’t even waver from their presence.

She turned around and was mildly surprised to yet again find him standing right there, so close. Even she couldn’t detect his skilled moves. The man reached for her face and slowly dragged the mask down. He didn't ask why she was wearing it in the first place, and Sakura appreciated that.

“I cannot contrrrrol you, but… I would preferrrr you stayed away from Kabuto.”

“You don’t have to tell me that twice,” she smirked, leaning her head into his touch. Sakura decided to allow Orochimaru to lead the way this time around. She was a bit curious to see what he would do.

The man didn’t hesitate to wrap his other hand around her waist and pull the woman closer. Like in slow motion, he leaned in to grace her with a kiss. Soooo gentle. Sakura could melt in his hands. Her arms rested on his chest feeling a heightened heartbeat under the pale flesh.

They kissed for a while exploring each other with their intertwined tongues. It was safe to say that the snake dominated her in that area. She was still amazed by the length and flexibility of his tongue.

As if dancing, Orochimaru led her towards the bed in a couple of smooth steps. Sakura didn’t even notice how he managed to swoop her off her feet. When she looked around, she was already on the white silky sheets.

Sakura was mildly alert when the sannin nibbled on her neck. He had a chance to bite her to add his curse mark yet again. But he didn’t. As the realization settled in, she relaxed completely. Her breathing intensified as the heat between them grew.

Subconsciously she started grinding on Orochimaru’s knee placed between her legs. He was as teasing as ever. That’s it. Her gracious kindness in giving him the freedom to act ends here, she thought.

WIth true kunoichi skills, she tipped him over and switched places with Orochimaru. Sakura looked down at the man underneath her. His hair was scattered around him like a dark shadow. Damn, he was easy on the eyes.

“What issss it?” he asked, observing carefully the frozen woman above him.

“Oh, nothing, just admiring my prey,” she smirked. Even Orochimaru chuckled at that. She felt the gentle rhythmic vibrations go down his chest. Giving in to the temptation, Sakura leaned to his neck and kissed _the spot_. Even she felt the shiver that went over snakes skin.

With soft kisses, she moved down to his collarbone, hands at the same time pushing his robes aside. The muscular chest felt extremely nice under her fingers. She grazed the skin ever so gently with her nails as her hands slid down. Another shiver.

She felt Orochimaru’s _excitement_ very clearly. It actively poked her into her thigh. Well, she probably should do something about it soon or even he will lose his patience. 

A malicious smirk spread on her lips. Orochimaru raised one eyebrow as he looked down at her still hovering over his chest.

“Trust me,” she whispered to his skin and slid lower. Sakura had to commend him - the man didn’t flinch or tense up. Not for a second. Even when she so casually reached inside his pants.

In many cases, such an act would often be considered demeaning. Sakura didn’t think so. Grasping his _treasure_ in her hand, she had all the power. Brushing it slower or faster she controlled the man’s pleasure. His satisfaction was in her hands. Literally.

Sakura leaned in and slowly licked the hard member from base to the very tip. Another violent shiver. She felt his eyes burning gaze focused solely on her. Making eye contact, still, with a crooked smile, Sakura took him in her mouth. Slowly. Fully.

Orochimaru actually gasped. Barely audibly, but still! In the back of her mind, Sakura noticed something happening behind her. She pulled away for a second to see how a clone from snakes formed. It was identical to the Orochimaru under her. The clone was standing by the bed _looking_ at her with hungry eyes.

“Continuueeee, don’t let me disssstract you,” he said nonchalantly. Oh, it was a challenge! Sakura smirked and resumed her ministrations. She wondered what distractions the man had in mind. Shortly, she had to guess no more.

A familiar yet foreign hand of the clone touched her leg. Fingers brushed over her skin going up to her thigh and under her skirt. For a moment she had to pause and let out a gasp when she felt him go right in with one long finger.

Not willing to lose so easily, she composed herself and continued to bob her head sucking and licking at his erect penis. It was getting hard to keep up the pace. Unintentionally, her rhythm was affected by the movements the clone was making inside of her.

“Mmmm, yesssss…” she heard Orochimaru hiss as her pace increased. He was close if the throbbing vein on the organ was any kind of indicator.

The clone pushed a couple more fingers within her and curled them up inside. She moaned with a full mouth. That was it, the sounds she made, the vibrations in her mouth, the gentle tongue it the combination that finally broke the snake - his body shuttered and he came in her mouth.

The taste was surprisingly sweet, she mused pulling away. Carefully she blew a cold gasp of air onto his still overly sensitive tip. He shivered in response, just like she wanted to. Clone behind her decided to remind about himself by starting to rub with his thumb on her clitoris.

“Ohhhh…” Sakura grasped at the sheets and closed her eyes. She only peeked when a hand grasped at her jaw. It was the real Orochimaru next to her. He brought her face closer and kissed intently. A couple of moans slipped out as she opened her mouth for him.

She was so close, but at the very last moment, the clone vanished. Sakura turned around as if her senses fooled her. No, he was really gone. Her eyes returned to the real man next to her with unmasked irritation.

“I swear!...” she was about to threaten him when her lips were occupied once more. Ah, she could not protest while he kissed her like that. Smoothly Orochimaru took position on top of her. Her eyes glanced down with excitement.

Like some addict, she shivered from only the thought of what was about to come next. She was not disappointed. To feel the sannin expand her nether region with his fresh erection was breathtaking. Sakura gasped for air and arched her back from the sensation that rolled over her whole body.

“Orochi...maru…” she moaned loudly his name, while the man moved his hips in sync with her own. The pressure of his body on top was simply delicious. Nothing else existed but them. No Akatsuki. No Konoha. No Danzo. Just her and Orochimaru.

━━━━━━━━━━

Orochimaru rested his head on her naked chest. Eyes closed as she gently stroked his long hair that tickled her skin. Looks like he didn’t plan on letting her go so easily like last time. At least that is what Sakura got from the way he wrapped around her effectively pinning her into place. 

“Pain will killlll you if he finds out you are wittthhh me,” the snake said as a matter of fact.

“I’m a good girl, you know. I got permission to take care of my business outside Ame,” Sakura said sweetly, but her words were not a lie. Even the sweetness was not fake. She really did feel giddy about her little machinations.

“Hmmm. Ifff you wanted to work in my labs sssso badly, you could have ssssaid so.”

“Haha! Please, I’m not the person that asks permission. _Your_ labs in Ame are just a perk of the job.”

“What isssss your actual reward then?”

“Test subjects.”

“Interesssting. And you do not consider it to be _cruel_ to tessssst on them?” he grimaced as if he himself considered the idea of testing on real people not even close to real cruelty.

“Hmm. Cruelty requires no motive, only opportunity and I am not about to waste my chance even if it is cruel,” she said casually looking up at the ceiling. No, she will waist not a single one this time around. She will take it all. She will do it all.

“Sssso you have no issues with me taking overrrr your _teammates_ body?”

“Nop. A body is like an inn - you check-in, stay a while, and check out,” that probably was the most accurate summary she could say based on her experience alone. “Although, I cannot agree that Uchiha blood is worth being one of them. They are all crazy,” she added after a moment thinking over every Uchiha she had a chance to meet. Jup. All out of their minds. “If you’re not careful, the crazy will stay with the body and pass over to you,” she giggled.

“Aww, how ssssweet of you to care of my wellbeing,” Orochimaru also chuckled.

“Oh, shut it!” Sakura playfully pushed him away from her and turned around in pretend anger. As if she would care about anyone but herself! Ha!

As expected, the man only wrapped his arms tighter pressing her back to his chest. “Mmmm, I know a way orrrr two how you could shut me up,” his low giggle sent shivers down her spine. Then of course he had to follow up with tender kisses on her neck that slowly went down her back.

After a second Sakura felt him stop. She felt his hand brush over her skin and she wondered why. What was he planning?

“My, my, I did notttt expect T&I of Konoha to be sssso… thorough when they captured you.”

“What? I probably should not be surprised that you even know about that. Honestly, Yamanaka was not that thorough at all. He didn’t even find that first time we met back in the Forest of Death,” it was so easy to talk with him. To share her thoughts. Sakura knew he wouldn’t judge her.

“Oooohh? In that casssse, did you get on Ibiki’s bad side?”

“Hm, what do you mean?” she glanced back with a questioning gaze.

“The sssscarsss. On your back,” Orochimaru simply explained. Sakura’s mouth made a small ‘oh’ shape in realization. Oh indeed. She looked away without answering. At this moment, Sakura would have gladly shared Konoha's secret intel rather than information about her own past.

Orochimaru didn’t say anything else as he pressed closer to her. Ah, the annoying man just had to be so… so… Ahhh! How come, The Legendary Snake Sannin was more understanding than her alleged friends and comrades? 

“It wasn’t T&I...“ she whispered, feeling the man's breath on her neck. He could definitely hear her. Strong hands held her in place and close. She was bound by him but did not feel like restraints. Sakura felt safe in his embrace. Nothing would hurt her while he was there.

━━━━━━━━━━


	45. Morning After

Sakura woke up surrounded by warmth. She nuzzled into the blanket and only then realized that it was in fact _not_ a blanket in front of her and around her. Nop. It was a man. As her eyes fluttered open, she felt her eyelashes brush on the white skin before her.

Ohh… She smiled to herself inhaling his scent. Orochimaru was breathing so quietly that she could not even hear it, but his heart was sending a calm and steady thud.

“Why are you ssssmiling?” she heard him whisper from above. Sakura tried to guess how he saw that but gave up in a while.

“I feel well-rested and that makes me happy,” she said honestly. Sleeping in his embrace she didn’t have a single worry in her head. Of course, Sakura liked the constant paranoia and fear for her life like any other missing-nin, but a break once in a while was also refreshing.

“Mmmmhmmm,” he hummed sending pleasant vibrations down his chest. Sakura smiled wider. Why couldn’t she stop her treacherous lips?

“Hey, Orochi-kun, have you ever done any extensive research on chakra production?”

“Hm, why do you assssk?”

“I’m working on a little something-something,” she shrugged as much as she could in her current position and looked up at the man’s face. His features also looked relaxed and calm. Quite a change from a maniacal expression he usually showed. “Have you?”

“Mayyyyybe I have,” he said with a sly smile. Sakura’s eyes twinkled with excitement.

“Alright, what do you want?”

“Hmmm, I do not knooooow. What _could_ you offerrrrr me?” he leaned closer to nibble on her neck. Maybe he was getting hungry? Or he implied wanting to place a curse mark on her. OR he just did it on a whim. There were quite a few unexpected things he did the past night.

“Ahh… what… do… you need?” she asked instead, between labored breaths. The snake made her blood boil with passion once again, but with her will alone, Sakura kept her mind on track.

“DNA. Pain’ssss to be precisssse.”

“Which one’s?” Sakura asked cheekily as she pulled away to look into those snake-like eyes.

“The main one’sssss,” he said with a smile, probably convinced that she would not agree to that.

“Oh? Not the real one’s?”

“Ahh, ssssso you know of Nagato already?”

“Well of course. Had to patch him up,” Sakura said nonchalantly. Now it was her turn to tease the man. She laid a trail of kisses from his collar bone to the neck.

“Mmmm. Nagato’s DNA I already possess. His main Pain is a different story. He guards the body far too well,” Orochimaru exhaled, closing his eyes from pleasure.

“I have it, let’s trade then,” she whispered to his ear. Sannin chuckled. Of course, she would have it. The woman was a never-ending surprise and mystery all in one.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura followed him into a room filled with dozens of shelves all stuffed with books. Orochimaru quickly located the right section and now carefully went over the content on that shelf.

“Ahh, here it issss…. Chakra on a molecular level,” he said presenting her with a scroll on the subject. Sakura eagerly took it and glanced inside. Diagrams! Details! Formulas! It was all there. Her eyes sparkled. This will definitely make her research go along faster.

She opened her mouth and swallowed the scroll. Sannin watched her carefully but otherwise did not show any surprise. Not like Kabuto and Sasuke who stepped inside.

“WHAT IS HARUNO DOING HERE **AGAIN**?” Uchiha growled ready to pounce. The boy was only stopped by Kabutos outstretched arm.

“Down, boy. She is our _guest_ ,” silver fox smirked with malice. Probably still sour about yesterday.

“FIGHT ME HARUNO!” Sasuke’s sharingan blazed on and Sakura ignored it completely as she rolled her own eyes.

“Thank you for this, _Orochimaru-kun_ ,” she said sweetly instead and hugged the man tightly. She meant it. For the scroll. For the midnight talks. For the company. For the sex.

Her hands wrapped around his waist, she leaned closer to his ear. “I wonder who will finish their project first? You? Or Me? Let me know how your cloning of cells is getting along,” she giggled softly into his ear.

Then Sakura pulled back just enough to shift herself in front of his face and kissed Orochimaru on the lips. With tongue. In front of Kabuto. And Sasuke. The pair looked at her with wide eyes as if she was a ghost or some other mythical creature. Snake responded to her actions leaning closer and tilting his head to the side.

When they finally parted, there was silence. Sakura sent a dirty look in Sasuke’s direction and waved before disappearing with a shunshin. Orochimaru was hiding a chuckle by covering his mouth with one hand. She made his life once again amusing. She made him feel alive.

“What?” was the only thing Sasuke could stammer out.

“Oh? Isss it the first time you have ssssseen her face?” Orochimaru pretended that _that_ was the only strange thing about this whole situation.

“Yes… but! Why did she… why you… what are you two planning?” Uchiha narrowed his eyes. Kabuto giggled by his side.

“Maybe we should have _the talk_ with you, Sasuke-san?” the silver-haired man suggested. Sasuke’s eyes got even wider. He looked with bewilderment between Kabuto and the sannin.

“Why would she… no! Now I am convinced that you two are planning something!” the first stage was always denial.

“Sassssuke, I will invite you nexxxxt time to watch. You might learrrrn a thing or two from my techniquessss,” Orochimaru’s tongue darted out, and licked his lips. He still debated whether he should take Uchiha’s words as an insult or pure stupidity. The boy would be indeed challenged in the head if he thought that a woman needed reason other than a desire to fall for a Legendary Sannin like himself.

“Unfortunately, Sasuke-san, you are wrong. Believe me, I heard them last night,” Kabuto pretended to whisper, but his words were clearly heard by all. Orochimaru chuckled again before leaving, nothing could ruin his mood today.

Meanwhile, Sasuke stood still as his brain tried to comprehend this new information about his former teammate. His mind forcibly replayed them kissing with great detail. Sadly, Sasuke’s sharingan was active when Haruno kissed Orochimaru and now that scene was forever burned into his memory.

The way the two embraced… it did not look odd or unusual. On the contrary, it looked like both of them were very comfortable with the display of affection. It was definitely not the first time proving Kabuto’s words to be true…

Sasuke really hoped that Orochimaru was not serious with his last suggestion. He _did not_ want to learn those kinds of techniques. OR see Haruno and Orochimaru in that way… A cold shiver ran down his spine from only even thinking about it.

━━━━━━━━━━

Back in the wild Sakura got her cloak out. She was about to head straight to Ame, but stopped in place. Carefully she sniffed the air. Fresh morning scent was laced with her one scent and the smell of… a snake. The woman exhaled, rubbing her temples.

There was no time to go rest in a bathhouse. She needed a fast and believable excuse. Something that could even explain her initial detour… Looking around she took into account the lands that were ahead.

The Land of Waterfall had some rare herbs… it could be an option. Sakura didn’t overthink it and headed towards it. Honestly, she probably could pick up any branch and say it has exceptional value to her project and people would buy it. They didn’t know any better.

It took Sakura a couple of hours to get out of Sound, cross the Land of Iron and finally end up in the middle of a jungle-like forest in the Land of Waterfall. She looked around carefully making her way ahead. 

Bright flowers and insects quickly got her attention. She scavenged a bit to collect a variety of possible items for her cover story. That is when she stumbled upon a swamp. She almost fell in, but a quick reaction with chakra directed to her feet saved her the trip underwater. Another great skill she learned from visiting Ankoku.

Thank Kami, she did react as fast as she did because the water stank, there was no other way of saying the awful smell that surrounded her! It wreaked from standing still, the foliage that was rotting in it, and who knows what else.

“Oh this is a bad idea…” she whispered looking down at the murky water surface, her face was scrunched from disgust. She’s really gonna do it… Sakura took a deep breath and released chakra from her feet. Instantly her body flopped down underwater submerged completely. It appeared that the swamp was far deeper than she expected.

With chakra enhanced and protected vision, she looked around. There were a couple of eels, water snakes, creepy looking fish. She swam around and tried to reach the bottom. It took a while.

When the light from the surface was almost nonexistent, Sakura finally touched the slimy seaweed-covered bottom of the swamp. She almost let out a sound of disgust but decided to preserve air instead. Then, something right next to her extended hand moved.

It was black thus almost completely blended in the shadows. Maybe Sakura couldn't clearly see it, but she felt the little creature move. It didn’t have a heart. No. What she felt was chakra. Her chakra being taken away by the _thing_! Instinctively she pulled away and got back to the surface.

“What the…” she muttered. Feeling annoyed and, well, insulted, Sakura made hand signs and with help of her Water release, she _parted_ the water around her! It looked like she was surrounded by an invisible force field that kept the water away.

The pink-haired woman descended to the bottom and the force field with her. Now she properly stood on the bottom of the swamp and looked around to find the culprit.

“Okay… that’s just gross…” she sighed as her eyes spotted the black creature that struggled without water. It was a leech. Chakra sucking leech. Black and slimy, with a dozen rows of sharp teeth.

“But, you’ll have to do,” she sighed again, not looking forward to this part at all. Carefully, Sakura got a jar from her mouth pouch (don’t even ask why she had it in the first place). After a couple of tries, she got the creature into the jar with a bit of swamp water. Then she actually hunted three more leeches just to be sure she’ll have what to work with.

When Sakura left the Land of Waterfall, she positively stank of the swamp. Also, she did not put the jar back into her pouch as her paranoia created a very life-like image of what could happen if the glass broke while inside her body. Nop. Not happening.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Shit, you stink, pinky,” Hidan was waiting for her by the entrance to the headquarters tower.

“What’s up, shithead?” she greeted the man sweetly. They got along well, to say it lightly. Somehow, the use of profanities really brought them together. Or at least to the same level. Which was low. Very low.

“Bitch, we had to drag that dead ass like over four nations, we just got back!”

“Fun,” Sakura walked past him inside.

“Pain wants to see you. So get your pretty little ass to him.”

“Aww, wolf-sama, already missed me? Oh, I better hurry to present him with my perky little ass!” she fluttered her eyelashes with a dreamy haze directed somewhere to the top where Pain’s office was.

“What the…?? You are really gross, newbie,” he said but chuckled at that. Maybe that was a compliment? Or maybe he really considered it disgusting of her to be even insinuating anything towards a dead guy like Pain.

“Who are you calling newbie, newbie?” Sakura raised her eyebrow. Yes, technically she was a newer member than Hidan, but only by a few weeks!

“You, bitch,” he poked her forehead. Sakura was about to say something when another chakra presence suddenly appeared.

“Hn.”

Sakura didn’t have to turn her head to recognize the cold shiver that the man brought with his blazing eyes directed at her.

“Uchiha, I’ll pop your eyes one day if you’ll keep staring at me like that,” she hissed to Itachi, meanwhile showing some inappropriate and ‘insulting’ gestures to Hidan as a threat if he ever dared to touch her again.

“What is that putrid smell?” Itachi asked. She felt his gaze shift.

“Good boy,” she sneered with a crazy grin stretched behind her mask. Uchiha slowly but surely will be trained to act to her liking. Sakura was proud of her progress so far.

“Oh, the smell is from the pink menace,” Hidan nodded, demonstratively pinching his nose. Itachi didn’t walk closer but sniffed the air from afar.

“Why would you swim in a swamp?” he deducted accurately.

“Needed stuff for my research,” Sakura rolled her eyes and turned to leave. “Sorry boys, wolf-sama is _dying_ to see me. I have to obey the master's wishes,” she chatted along dramatically and left both of the men behind.

Not stopping to shower or change, she reached Pain’s office and knocked.

“Enter,” came the cold and familiar voice of the orange-haired deadman inside.

“You wanted me, wolf-sama,” she smiled at him with big expectant eyes.

“I wanted to _see you_ , yes. Why did you split up with Kakuzu and Hidan?” he got right to the point. Good, Sakura was dying to get this over with.

“Needed to get supplies for my research,” she deadpanned, pulling _the_ jar from inside of her cloak and showing the content to him. The man didn’t even blink as he studied the wriggling creatures.

“Chakra eating leeches? Explain.”

“Wow, you sure love to micro-manage…” she mumbled, but encouraged by his not amused stare, continued to explain. “Well, to test chakra, I need a way to drain it consistently. As I cannot bother you or Kisame for that the whole time. I needed to get an alternative hence chakra eating leeches.” Simple and sweet, she almost let out her maniacal laugh. It was really too easy to fool these so-called evil masterminds.

“I see. Why not use ninjutsu and drain chakra yourself?”

“I cannot start experimenting on myself before testing it on other subjects. _That_ is why I needed shinobi - to test things on,” Sakura’s patience was going thin with all these explanations. She almost believed it herself by now.

“I see. The subjects you requested are already waiting for you in the dungeon cells,” Pain added turning back to his papers. Sakura jumped in her spot.

“Aww! Really??? Thank you, woooooolf-sama, you’re the best!!” Sakura yelped sweetly and hurried to leave. Finally, she could actually start her work. Pain did not even flinch or show any reaction at all to her outburst. Maybe the real Nagato did…

Sakura had a more important thing to do now. She hurried out and towards her apartment. Unfortunately, there was someone waiting by her door.

“Uchiha, I swear, if you are going to bother me with something stupid….” she exhaled with exasperation as her hand reached for the door.

“I need only five minutes of your time, Saku-san,” he said stoically enduring the stench that came from her being in such close proximity to him.

“Fine, five minutes,” she nodded letting him inside. “Follow me if you want me to hear what you say!” she ordered the man. Passing by the table, Sakura left the jar on it. Itachi glanced it over with mild curiosity but didn’t stop as he continued to follow her. Indeed, what a good and obedient boy he was, Sakura thought as she dropped her cloak on the sofa and headed towards her bathroom. The shower was calling her name.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chakra eating leeches:  
> 


	46. Kindred Spirit

Itachi felt at ease when he followed orders. He didn’t have to think, only complete his mission. Nothing to decide. Nothing to feel. There was only a mission. He lived like this for a long while, that is until Saku Haruno shattered his idle lifestyle in Amegakure.

Now eldest Uchiha caught his own thoughts drifting away towards the girl. Thinking if she was still alive. Will she be killed by Pain or by their own former comrades? Maybe even by his brother's hand… She was so young… barely older than when he left the village.

She was alone just like him. Abandoned just like him. She was his brother’s age, so maybe that was the biggest part that made the man care. Itachi felt a natural bond with her. Maybe because they both were from Konoha. Maybe because she healed him with the care that no one showed him for years. Maybe because he spared her life on multiple occasions.

Something made him care. So naturally, when Kakuzu and Hidan returned without Saku’s chakra signature, he was concerned. Itachi was about to question the zombie duo when he felt her. Ah, so she was alive. Unexpected ease washed over him. It had been a while since he worried about someone so close to him.

In a way, Itachi even came to a conclusion, that just by being next to him Saku would get hurt. Just because she knew his secret. Because of _his_ actions, _she_ would be killed by Pain. He did not want to have her blood on his hands as well…

So that is how Itachi decided to reason with the girl once more. He waited for her return from the Leader's office. He _hoped_ she would return. And she did. The putrid swamp smell preceded her.

“Uchiha, I swear, if you are going to bother me with something stupid…”

Something probably happened on the mission. Itachi was curious to find out what and felt safer asking Saku instead of Kakuzo or Hidan. Either of the two would laugh and try to kill him in no particular order. 

“I need only five minutes of your time, Saku-san,” he said calmly.

“Fine, five minutes. Follow me if you want me to hear what you say!” the girl looked like she was indeed in a hurry. Not a ‘Pain is about to kill me and I have to flee’ hurry, but more like a ‘I am annoyed or excited so don’t piss me even more’ kind of hurry.

Itachi noted the jar with leeches as he followed Saku inside. Ahh, so that was the source of the smell and probably a reason for visiting a swamp. He could not tell exactly what the little creators were needed for. They looked… agitated just like Saku herself. Interesting.

His attention was quickly snapped back to the girl who was practically undressing on her way to the bathroom. He carefully walked past a nonchalantly dropped shirt, cloak… The man stopped right by the door expecting it to close in front of his face. It didn’t.

Hesitant for a moment, Itachi turned around as he did not want to risk peeping. Saku meanwhile did not look bothered at all as she continued to undress in the tiled room. He could hear the shuffling of clothing followed by the fabric dropping on the floor.

His helpful imagination put together an illustration of the sounds behind him. Just a shinobi habit, to predict what was happening behind him based on senses alone. Here was a sound of something light dropping to the floor. Her skirt? Then something with a cling of metal. A pouch? Then a lighter cling. Headband? Shuffling and woosh of hair… that had to be the undershirt…

Itachi realized that she was probably completely naked by now. He tensed up and cleared his throat.

“Maybe I should wait until you are done?” he asked.

“Nah, I’ll be busy after this on my project, this is the only time I will listen… now where is it… what the fuck...” he tilted his head to the side wondering what was wrong.

“Are you okay? Is something wrong?”

“Yeah yeah… fine… I just… I think I forgot… lost my underwear, huh,” she looked as puzzled as Itachi felt. She lost what now?...

“You… lost it? Where?”

“Hmmm, in the swamp I guess?” she sounded like she was really concentrating on tracking back her own steps. Itachi was still beyond confused.

“Did Hidan try anything?”

“Hidan? Well, he tried to do his ritual thing, but it took too long, so I took care of things,” Itachi heard the water running now. He felt hot steam in the back of his neck. He was also not really buying Saku’s story. 

“No. What I mean is, if he tried anything with you? Towards you?”

“Hm? What? Like, seduce me? Or kill me? Pleeease. He is a funny guy, but I doubt he would dare. Tho, he did say he could fuck me right there and then, hmmm, I’ll have to give it some thought.”

“I am serious! You cannot play around with these people. They are dangerous!” Itachi snapped.

“Oh, I know. Kakuzu actually tried to kill me at least a dozen times. One time he was very close,” she talked casually. Itachi’s eyes were wide. His head quickly snapped back to look her in the eyes. Was she really serious? Only his sharingan could tell.

“What?” he muttered and froze as his eyes took in the sight. For that second he had forgotten where they were. Where Saku was and what she was doing. The white bathroom was filled with hot steam. But it could not hide the gentle frame of the girl from his red eyes.

Itachi quickly closed his eyes, but it was too late. The image was ingrained in his memory and replayed in detail. At least she had her back turned to him as her head was tilted up to face the stream of water falling down on her. The water dripped down her skin. The curves were no longer hidden behind clothing…

“Maaa, Itachi-kun, I would say that you can take a picture if you like what you see, but I guess sharingan works the same way, right?” shit. She always feels when his eyes are on her. For some reason, the girl is very sensitive to his sharingan. Probably because she spent so much time with Sasuke and Kakashi.

“No… I wasn’t…”

“Now now, don’t be shy, you can join me, Itaaaachi-kun,” she called him with a sweet voice. The man could imagine how she waved her hand for him to come closer. He didn’t look though. He also didn’t turn away. He was just frozen in place.

“...”

He heard her melodic laugh echo of the tiles in the small room. His mind railed into possible apologies or plans of actions, so Itachi didn’t notice right away that water was no longer running. He heard her wet steps towards him. His eyes shut harder if that was possible.

“Alright, I’ll give you five more minutes to _finish_ whatever you are thinking about now and five more to actually have a conversation with me, key?” she said with a sigh and her hand brushed along his cheek. He felt her wet and warm skin send shivers all over his nerve system.

Itachi controlled the urge to gulp and waited. Eyes securely closed. Saku wasn’t leaving just yet like he begged her in his mind. She leaned into his ear. Itachi felt a couple of droplets of water fall on his chest.

“Let me know if you need any help with… whatever you’re thinking about…” she chuckled darkly and only then left. Itachi was beyond perplexed. What could he be thinking about besides an apology? Was his struggle to find words that obvious?

He took a couple of shallow breaths and finally blinked. He was left alone in the bathroom. Itachi cleared his throat again and went to wait for Saku in the small living room area.

“Alright, five minutes aaaand go,” Sakura said right away as she entered the room from her bedroom. The girl was wearing a clean kimono style wrap that was definitely too short to be considered an actual kimono.

Itachi shook his head slightly, to return his straying eyes from Saku’s bare thighs to her face. 

“You can still leave Akatsuki. Especially if Kakuzu tried to kill you.”

“Itaaachi, darling, we already talked about that,” she rolled her eyes as she took what looked like food from her kitchen. Yes, it turned out to be a bowl of rice. Plain rice. 

“You will die here.”

“So will you,” the girl shrugged as she took a mouthful of rice. Itachi frowned. No wonder she was so thin if that was her diet… though, she did have well-developed muscles and her… yet again, with force the man returned his thoughts to the conversation.

“You still have much to live for.”

“Do I, now?” her eyebrow was raised and Itachi instantly realized that he made some kind of mistake. A wrong turn in the delicate way of speaking with a powerful yet abandoned by her comrades' kunoichi.

“Yes. You are too young to sacrifice your life in Akatsuki,” he really tried to save himself here and it looked like she bought it as Saku let out a sigh.

“Itachi, you really shouldn’t be telling me that. Unless you want to remind me of what _you_ were doing my age.”

No, he didn’t.

“Tell me, Itachi, why are you so concerned about my wellbeing? We didn’t even fuck yet.”

He was about to answer when his eyes froze for a second. Did she just… the casual manner of her tone led him to believe that the girl was very serious with her question.

“I… we don’t have to… do that for me to be concerned.”

“Then why? Why are you bothering with me then?”

“Well… you are young… just like Sasuke and also his former teammate…” he tried to put it into words, but honestly the man didn’t know the answer himself. Aaaand looks like she was not pleased with his impromptu reasoning either as her face scrunched up. Without a mask, it was far easier to read her.

“Five minutes up. Try again next time,” she said curtly and left with her jar of leeches. Didn’t even bother to let him out. Saku just up and left shutting the door behind her. Did… something happen between her and his brother? 

Itachi had a lot to think about. He shunshined away to his own quarters and laid on his bed lost in thought. The whole day replied in his head. The man considered every action he made and other possibilities he could have done. He considered motives behind other's actions… like, why would Kakuzu try to kill Saku? Why would Hidan… well he was actually acting very much as expected.

But then, why Saku was… so blunt? So forward? So… mature? She was obviously not a kid and Itachi understood that. He still recalled the moment in the shower. Nop, she was definitely not a kid if her curves had anything to say about that subject. 

As Itachi recalled her naked form something else came to his attention. Only now, looking for a fifth time into the image, he noticed the scars on her back. He noticed the scar on her neck… In the evening, he had far more questions than answers. 

If Saku was so set on staying with Akatsuki, he would have to keep a close eye on her. Why? It felt right. Itachi could not put his reasoning into words. It just felt like the right thing to do. Like something, someone, he could actually protect. Definitely had nothing to do with how much Saku reminded him of himself. Besides the whole massacre part. Although, he was not entirely sure if Saku wouldn't slaughter a clan or two if she were ordered to. Nop, she would definitely do it.

━━━━━━━━━━

Orochimaru continued to work for hours without any break. He felt inspired like never before. The little things he talked about with Saku… her ideas on the subject of cells… he did not anticipate her being _that_ knowledgeable. Her ideas were... innovative! Something he himself most definitely would have suggested…

(Little did he know that it was _his_ thoughts! Only formulated many years in the future.)

And yet it was all her. Little thoughts on molecular splicing and cellular growth. A reference point for clone generation and so on… they probably spoke about it for hours deep into the night.

It was hands down the best pillow talk he ever had. Not that he ever before indulged in conversation with patrons that shared his bed. Not that he would let them stay the night in the first place. 

The man still hoped to steal the girl away from Akatsuki. Working with her would bring his projects to fruition. But she clearly said that she had her own goals to pursue and he respected that… for now.

Their conversation flowed easily like a river. The sannin basked not only in her words but attention as well. The way she combed his hair was calming. The way her heart was beating under his head was reassuring. The way her body felt in his grasp felt… warm.

Without knowing, the man depended on Saku to provide that warmth for him. To fill the void in his heart left by his parents. To make him whole again. To satisfy his thirst for connection. To satisfy his hunger for knowledge.

“Mmmmm...” he hummed with a smile as he looked through his microscope at a DNA sample. It was the real deal. **His** pink-haired woman already had on hand the flesh he required. Orochimaru wondered what need did she have for it? What secret technique she could be developing with it? Or maybe a scientific experiment?

Either way, a wide smile stretched his face. She was just like him. She was a true pair to his twisted mind. Saku was _his kindred spirit_. So rare to find in the boring world of ready to die shinobi.

At some point, the man did return to his room. Her smell hit his nose as soon as he opened the door. Orochimaru licked his lips, inhaling deeply the familiar scent. His heart started to beat just a tad bit quicker as he recalled all that happened here. 

The snake sannin will have to meet her again. And soon. He felt a rare urge and he was not about to let the feeling go away unfulfilled. Orochimaru always gets what he wants. One way or another.

━━━━━━━━━━

Was she mad at Itachi? Yes.

Was she mad because he dared to compare her to Sasuke? Yes.

Why did it always have to come back around to that no good son of a… she exhaled deeply as her feet took her down to the laboratory. Sakura probably should not be surprised to hear Itachi of all people talk about his _brother_. And yet, she did not want to hear it.

She did not want to hear Sasuke’s name. Even a thought about the raven-haired boy. Yes, he was a good tool and a cover she used for years. Even in this life, she took the liberty of toying with him. But in the end, what she was left with was a label. Sasuke’s teammate. The deadweight of the monster team seven. The useless one. The ugly one. The one Uchiha took pity on…

With an unnecessary bang, Sakura opened the door ajar. Her eyes were flaming with anger, funneled into determination. Oh, she will show them all just how much they were all wrong. She will crush them all!

Without much ceremony or care, she incapacitated her first ‘volunteer’, got him from his cell, and dragged him into her test room #1. When he was safely secured on the table, Sakura started taking notes. Pages and pages of detailed numbers, levels, and characteristics she found from her initial diagnostics. 

Finally, a time came for her leeches to shine. Carefully she took the jar and started the first stage of her experimentation.

So it begins.

No way back now. 

She was just like them now.

Using others without mercy to further her agenda. And it felt great. It felt right. Watching the unconscious person strapped to her table, Sakura could not stop her imagination from placing the faces of those who wronged her instead. She didn’t even blink.

“On the day of reckoning,” Sakura whispered, eyes wide, a crazy smile stretched on her lips,” you will know my name and fall to your knees in fear. Victory is acknowledged, and the vanquished is disavowed. I will be victorious,” she said, talking to those she imagined rather than the stranger she was making her test on. 

The next thing that came from her mouth was a wicked laugh. Yes, she will show them all. She will stand in the carnage of their blood and bodies. She will be the one acknowledged and valued. They will all regret it, was what Sakura thought as she carefully placed leeches on her subject with a smile.

━━━━━━━━━━


	47. Experimentation I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer - I am not a scientist or specialist on molecular things, so please consider my theories on the subject as truth even if they would not make sense in reality.

Sakura was thorough. She was smart. She was quick to connect the dots. What more a scientist would want to be? Maybe immortal and not need sleep or sustenance.

Spending days and days closed off in the labs, the woman often forgot to eat or sleep. There was only a single goal burning in front of her eyes. She needed to get better. To get stronger. To figure weaknesses of _everyone_ around her.

Anyone could betray her at any time. That she learned from Konoha and would never forget. Sakura blinked a couple of times as she leaned back from her subject. One of the issues was that she had to monitor chakra directly as it is being consumed by the leeches. So she had to use her medical ninjutsu and that in turn drained her own chakra.

Of course, it was a small cost for all the knowledge she learned. She already knew that chakra is produced by internal organs. Each can produce a different level, quality, and type of chakra. But that was not enough for her. Sakura turned her focus deeper - to the molecular level.

Her idea was simple - locate cells and chemicals inside that react together to release chakra then stimulate them directly to enhance chakra production. Sounds simple enough, but it is far from that.

When chakra particulates are generated, it is like a little spark that blinds you for a moment. So it is easy to miss where exactly it came from. Sakura felt like she had been staring with her senses at the sun. She groined pulling away. Her chakra was dangerously low. 

“You look like shit, pinky,” Hidan laughed by the door to her testing room. She was so tired, that she didn’t even notice the man appear.

“Still, better than you,” she smirked and glanced back at him with her tired eyes. Hidan had his hand in his other hand… Literally. His left hand was cut off completely. She blinked unimpressed.

“HahaHAHHA! You wish, little devil! Don’t test me, or I’ll shove this hand of mine where you will like it for sure,” he joked waving his appendage like some weapon. Yeah, probably it wasn’t that weird to play around with body parts for villains. Sakura laughed from her lungs, sincerely and honestly. Silver fox seemed to know how to cheer her up every time.

“Yeah yeah, or maybe I will shove it up right back into your ass. So what do you want, Hidan?” Sakura crossed her arms expectantly. She had no time to waste on banter no matter how refreshing it felt.

“Ah yeah, so we kinda got into an argument with Kakuzu… and well you see…” he raised his left arm stump to indicate that indeed the two of them had an argument. Sakura nodded. Yes, she can see that much.

“And well, he kinda refused to sew me back together, so blue-haired leaders bitch suggested you could maybe patch me up?” Hidan rubbed the back of his head with his severed left hand holding it with his right.

Sakura exhaled, still not impressed.

“Fine, sit,” the woman motioned to a single chaired by her metal stand with various instruments. An honest and wide very much Naruto-like smile spread on Hidan’s face as he took the seat. Sakura softened at his expression.

Yes, maybe Hidan was rude and dumb on occasion, but he was also pretty sweet in his own way… and handsome… Maybe it had something to do that he never wore a shirt? Very likely. Seeing his chiseled chest was rather distracting

“Right,” Sakura cleared her throat and took Hidan’s appendage to inspect it. The fingers moved and interlaced with hers. She didn’t flinch no matter how much she wanted to. Only her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the ‘thing’ with big interest. “You are truly something…” she muttered under her breath turning the hand around to look it over from all angles.

“You know it, baby,” she didn’t have to look to know that Hidan had a sly smirk on his lips now.

Sakura smirked herself. Despite the flirting, it was all only words. The man never made an actual move on her as if he was waiting for her to do it first. Or maybe he was all talk, to begin with… Sooner or later she will _test_ him out. But now more important things had to be done first.

“Okay, be still, yeah?” she warned Hidan with a strict glance, he gave a nod in response.

The procedure was… interesting. Sakura decided not to overthink it and just placed two body parts next to one another, with her free hand she sent healing chakra towards the connection and encouraged cells to multiply and connect. It was like sewing two fabrics back together. Only that fabric was human skin.

Meanwhile, Hidan watched her actions in silence with intense curiosity. Sakura couldn’t take it any longer. “What?” she asked without looking away from the work she was doing.

“Well… I am kinda surprised that it doesn’t hurt or anything… like when Kakuzu sews me back together the pain is a bitch!” Sakura was really starting to think that Hidan didn’t fully know the true meaning behind the word ‘bitch’. She nodded ever so slightly as to not lose her concentration. After all, this was not just a simple cut she was healing. She had to connect skin, muscles, bones, arteries and veins, and all that is too small to even see.

“Yeah, of course, it doesn’t hurt. I numbed the area,” she explained mechanically in her medic voice. The woman felt Hidan’s eyes shift and bore into her. “What?”

“Oh… why would you do that?”

“Because that’s how healing works? Have you never been healed before? Scratch that. Stupid question. No, you probably haven’t, have you?”

“Yeah, first time,” Hidan confirmed. There was still something odd in his tone that she didn’t hear before.

“Aww, I popped your cherry? How sweet, will have to drink some sake after and smoke a cigarette,” she laughed lightly. She _felt_ him smile, even though Hidan didn’t answer or laugh vocally.

“Alright, looks like that’s it,” she finally said, pulling her hands away. The body parts stayed together, there wasn’t even a scar left! Hidan slowly raised the hand in front of his face and moved each finger.

“FUCK! THIS IS FUCKIN’ GREAT!” he exclaimed actually startling Sakura this time. She smiled warily at the man. He looked like a child who just got a birthday present he always wanted.

“Yeah, it’s nothing special. You’re the one who can still move it and all…” she yawned stretching. Results of her bad habits, lab work, and the recent healing session were quickly catching up to Sakura. Damn, she felt lightheaded now. Her chakra was almost completely drained. She swayed in place and saw the world shift to the side. Oh… it was actually she who was shifting.

But Sakura didn’t feel a hit to the ground. She saw her body thud on the floors. _She saw it_. From the side. _Well fuck fuck fuck… just fuckin amazing…_ she cursed in her mind desperately looking around. Yes, the grey tones, murky outlines of objects - she has definitely disconnected from her body again. Like some weird self-preservation mechanism when she is near death.

Being in her soul-self was no longer odd after a couple of training sessions with ravens, but it was still nothing she would do intentionally. At least not now. Being out of her body, Sakura felt cold. Her essence wanted to go back, she was about to do just that. Better to be unconscious but back in her own skin rather then watch from a side how Hidan is losing his cool (no matter how funny he looked when he showed unmasked concern).

Then suddenly, a ghostly hand, much like her own, landed on Sakura’s soul shoulder.

━━━━━━━━━━

Hidan was freaking out. One moment Saku was smiling at him with her emerald eyes, the next she collapsed. Despite being a shinobi of sorts, he was still surprised by the sudden change and didn’t manage to catch her in time.

“Fuck fuck Fuuuuuuck…” he muttered under his breath as he quickly kneeled beside her limp body. Hidan hesitated unsure of what to do. He placed his ear on her chest and listened. Thud. Thud. Reassuring and calm heartbeat was a good sign.

But what now? Could he just leave her there on the floor?

“Fuuuuuck… oy, Saku, wake up?” he poked her to the side. She didn’t react. Her eyes were closed. The woman looked asleep. Maybe she was just exhausted? Yeah, that sounded reasonable. Yet, if he would leave now, Pain would surely assume that _he_ did something to their healer. 

“Up we go then,” the man nodded to himself. With ease, he picked Saku up and threw her body over his shoulder like she was a sack of flour. “Damn, you’re light, pinky,” he muttered with surprise. One hand carefully rested on her thigh, so her body wouldn’t fall down.

He left the labs and went upstairs to their living quarters. Hidan didn’t actually know what room was hers so decided to bring her to his own room for now. This was a bit awkward, but hey, how could he refuse a company of a pretty lady even if she was knocked out? No, he could not.

Humming a tune he walked the dimly lit corridors.

“Hidan. What are you doing?” a cold and emotionless voice called for him from behind. The man stopped and turned around with a wide smirk.

“None of your business, fuckin’ Uchiha,” he snarled, but Itachi only gave him a deadpanned look. Red eyes already blazing with suspicion.

“What did you do with Saku?”

“Why do you care, brat?”

“Give her to me.”

“No fuckin way! Who knows what you’ll do with the pretty little petal of mine, you creep,” Hidan laughed. Itachi was not amused.

“I could say the same thing about you, Hidan.”

“Pffft! Please! I don’t have to knock her out to make her fall for me!” he was mildly insulted. Although, Saku never did respond to his flirtation more than with words. For now.

“So you did knock her out?”

“No fuckin’ way! Listen, pinky was just exhausted after patching me up, so I’m just helping her out, yeah? Better than leaving her past put on the floor,” he muttered, turning around.

“Hn,” Itachi didn’t sound too convinced, but Hidan couldn’t care less what Uchiha was thinking. No way is he leaving the woman with the creep like that. Who knows what mind tricks Itachi would do on her defenseless like this. 

Finally, he returned to his room and closed the door shut behind him. Looking around he decided to place the girl on the leather sofa. Her head was resting on the back cushion, he stood for a moment looking at her.

Well, now he definitely could not leave her alone.

“Will just have to wait till you wake up, sleeping beauty,” he giggled and proceeded to grab a bottle of wine. He sat down next to the unconscious woman and had a couple of sips straight from the bottle.

“Hmmm, the fuck am I supposed to do now?” he cursed a couple of times but then gave up to make any sense of the situation. He draped an arm around her shoulders and got more comfortable in his spot.

“Right, let me tell you, pinky, about Jashin!” he decided not particularly bothered that she probably couldn’t hear him speak. Hidan continued to tell about his religion and faith with all the gory details of slaughter.

Shit, it kinda felt nice to have a warm body for once by his side. So compliant and calm. With no expectations towards him. Almost like having a friend who actually listens to him speak instead of trying to kill him. Or sleep with him, what most women wanted from him.

“You know, pinky, you would really like Jashin. I think he would like you too with all your bloodthirst, it is truly delicious,” he snickered, gulping the wine.

He looked at his left arm and examined it again. Fingers worked just like before, there was not even a scar left. She did a perfect job putting him back together. Her chakra also felt warm as she healed him. Hidan never knew that chakra could be used this way. To fix instead of destroying. 

Two empty bottles down the line, Hidan himself finally felt a tad dizzy. He cuddled closer to Saku and wrapped around her like she was some personal human-sized teddy bear.

“Mmm, you smell of blood,” he whispered nuzzling to her hair. The man’s eyes slowly fell shut as he drifted off to sleep.

━━━━━━━━━━

Pain’s path made its way towards the labs deep underground. He was impatient. An hour ago Saku had to report back to him. When she didn’t he was irritated and walked to her himself. The room was empty, besides the test subjects strapped to the table.

He looked around to find no trace of the pink-haired woman. His ringged eyes scanned everything. There were tons of books and scrolls. Various test tubes and other instruments he really had no knowledge about.

Carefully looking over some papers he noted the progress Saku was making. At first, he was really skeptical of her supposed project. But the notes were so meticulous and detailed that finally he was convinced that Saku really was getting somewhere with this. She _really_ was researching chakra production.

Good.

The woman was talented, yes, but her chakra was a problem. Till now he did not even include her in the tailed beast extraction because of that - her abysmal chakra would not be of much help. Honestly, the most he expected from Saku was to prolong his life until his plan came to fruition. She already did more than that.

After even a couple of healing sessions, Nagato felt his body get more stable and stronger. He felt better than he felt in years, actually! Itachi also seemed stronger. His gamble actually paid off. The man exhaled and left. Just because of her value, Nagato was willing to let this little disobedience slide. 

For some reason, not only his body, but mind as well felt calmer. Before Saku, it felt like he had to hurry. Like his goal was slipping if he did nothing. Now, the man could think clearly. Plan carefully. Calculate his moves. So that is what he returned to do. Saku will come to him herself eventually. Or he will kill her.

━━━━━━━━━━


	48. Experimentation II

Sakura cursed the way a lady or even a man shouldn’t ever do. Who wouldn’t curse in her place faced by a ghost of the past? It might as well be a demon by now. At least as far as she was concerned.

“Hell no!” she shook the hand of her shoulder and drifted across space to follow Hidan who carried her body away. 

“You must listen to me, shinobi,” a cold and stern voice called after her. He was following her.

“Get the fuck away from me! I don’t want to do anything with _your_ kind!”

“If you are here, it must be fate for us to meet!” he insisted and appeared right before her. Tall and ghostly. His features painfully familiar.

Like over a fog she heard Itachi’s voice stop Hidan. Honestly, she wasn’t sure, what would be worse - for her body to stay with Hidan or Itachi.

“You must listen to me, shinobi,” the man insisted. Sakura exhaled and shook her head.

“NOP. Not happening!” she drifted past him and continued to follow Hidan instead.

“I will not rest unless you help me.”

“Oh why does it have to be me…” she whined trying to ignore his commanding presence. Even as a ghost, a lingering shadow of his soul, the man held an air of authority around him.

“You are here, you are not dead, therefore it must be you,” he insisted.

“Oh come on…” Sakura still tried to brush him off. Then stopped and exhaled. Maybe if she would just listen to him, he would leave her alone. “Alright. What do you want from me, Uchiha-sama?” she looked up at the tall man.

“I have failed my clan. I have failed my sons. Itachi-kun is now burdened because of my mistakes,” Fugaku said. There was a very real pain reflecting in his ghostly eyes. “I will not rest until my sons have peace and justice.”

“So? What do you want from me?”

“I have watched over Itachi all these years. The things he had to go through… he does not deserve this fate!”

“Well he is free to return to the village, you know! The truth is out, he would be welcomed back I have no doubt,” Sakura crossed her arms.

“No, he could return, but his soul would still be burdened.”

“So what do you want me to do???”

“I saw your interactions. I saw your kindness towards him. You are a good person.”

“Ha! Please! I am a missing-nin! Haven’t you heard? I even attacked the kage,” her tone was rather patronizing and bitter.

“And yet, you are here now. In front of me. Listening to me. I believe you can help Itachi to get his revenge and be together with Sasuke-kun again.”

“What’s with you Uchiha and revenge?” she rolled her eyes. 

“It must be done. To avenge our clan. To avenge Konoha. To right the wrongs we did.”

“Yeah, no thanks,” she waved at him and fled. She listened to him and now it was time for her to get back. Ravens already warned her that the longer her soul lingers in the _inbetween_ of the world of the living and the land of the dead, the worse the consequences will be when she returns. They did not specify what exactly would happen, but Sakura didn’t want to find out.

After some time she finally found Hidan. Honestly, she almost expected to be in Hidan's bed by now, so seeing him just having a conversation with her unconscious body was a bit of a surprise. Sakura paused and listened in on his ramblings.

A fond smile appeared on her face. Even psychotic murderers had more honor than the respectable shinobi of Konoha. Worries swiped away, Sakura relaxed and drifted back into her own body. Click. She was back. Unconscious, surrounded by the darkness of her exhaustion, but she was back.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura’s eyes fluttered open the next morning. Her chakra somewhat recovered. At least enough for her to be awake again. She felt warmth surrounding her.

The woman tried to move but felt that something was preventing her from standing up. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light of early morning, Sakura saw muscular hands wrapped around her.

“Huh,” she muttered, blinking a couple of times. Her memory returned in a flash. Right, Hidan took her body and looks like fell asleep while ‘guarding’ her. She smiled to herself. _What an idiot._

Carefully she untangled from him and stood up.

“Oy! Pinky, you’re back!” Hidan yawned staring at her.

“Yeah yeah... Just needed a nap,” she shrugged nonchalantly and stretched. This probably was the most sleep she got in weeks.

“HAHAHA! Hey, how about I help you stretch back in my bedroom?” Hidan gave her a suggestive smirk. Sakura rolled her eyes.

“You’re really crazy if you think I would agree to that.”

“Put your hands down my pants and I’ll bet you‘ll feel nuts too,” he snickered. 

Sakura blinked, staring at him lost for words. The pun and innuendo and play on words all in one was a stroke of genius on Hidan’s part. She couldn’t hold back her laughter.

“Thank you for being you, Hidan,” she responded when she finally caught her breath again.

“I don’t know how to be anyone else?” he said looks like really puzzled by her statement. Aww, the dumb gorgeous man. She winked at him and left.

After visiting Pain and a quick change of clothing Sakura was back in her labs. Everything was just like she left it. First thighs first, Sakura checked on her subjects. Both still alive. The two dead ones still waited for her to start working on them.

Sakura exhaled deeply. When her eyes opened next, there was an unhinged focus in the green depths. And thus experimentation continues.

━━━━━━━━━━

A week later Sakura started to make significant progress. As nobody really bothered her, the woman could fully concentrate on the task at hand. She finally managed to identify the elements in the cells that created chakra. Now it was time for stage two.

Sakura carefully took leeches off the test subject's skin and closed them back in a jar. It was her third subject. Two before him died. One from chakra exhaustion. Another from a weird reaction to the leeches.

She steadied her breathing and cracked her knuckles. This was it. The first attempt in enhancing cell production of chakra. 

Easy right? She could grow bones and force cells to multiply! How hard could it be to force cells to produce chakra?

Letting one last shaky breath, Sakura rubbed her palms together. They started to glow light blue. With clinical focus, she hovered her hands over the subject's head. The brain was easy to reach and produced chakra like no other organ (maybe besides the heart). 

She closed her eyes and forced her own chakra inside. Carefully she isolated the chemicals inside the cells. Now… with a gentle push she forced the cells to react. Molecules collide with each other, chemicals sparked like embers as chakra results from the energy outburst.

Sakura’s senses were almost blinded by the sudden blimp of chakra. It was produced at least a hundred times faster than usual! Opening her eyes wide, she stepped back. Sweat was dripping down her forehead. 

“Fuck… it actually worked…” she muttered in disbelief.

Then suddenly, the subject started to convulse. She cursed under her breath. Before Sakura could even approach him the person's head exploded…

She stood frozen in place, covered in brain matter blood and whatnot. Shit. Looks like chakra did not stop producing until finally there was nowhere else to expand but out.

“Your contribution will be valued,” she exhaled, brushing the flesh of her face.

━━━━━━━━━━

Ten subjects. Ten people, she had sent to their deaths in her lab. After the third one exploded, she took her experiments in a bare tiled room with only a table and a drain in the middle.

Her method worked, but it lacked breaks. When cells started to work on making chakra they couldn’t stop and it was an issue. 

Frustrated, Sakura flung her notes to the wall, her face contorted with anger. This was taking too long! She tried everything that came to mind, but nothing worked.

Inhaling deeply, Sakura calmed herself down. She needed to get a break. To get her mind of things to get a different perspective. And there was the other thing she had to take care of. Brushing a bloody finger over her arm, Sakura summoned her loyal raven.

“ **CRA!** ” the bird flapped its wings as he emerged from the smoke.

“Hey there, Mokuhi,” she smiled at the raven and reached her hand to pet him.

“ **Saku! Finally, I thought you already have forgotten about us, CRA!** ” he nuzzled his little head in her palm. 

“Not at all! I was just busy,” she smiled at him. “How did your mission went?”

“ **Am I a raven or not? Of course, it was done immaculately!** ” with those words Mokuhi vomited out three little bags of fabric. Sakura scrunched her nose instantly. They stank of decomposition.

“Perfect!” she smiled with her entire face as she carefully took the bags and proceeded to seal them in glass tubes and then in a scroll she got from her own mouth. Hey, it was the most secure place. Sakura could not risk anyone stumbling upon her little side projects.

“Did anyone see you?”

“ **Does the sun shine during the night? Of course not, CRA! Although, there was this masked man always lingering around the cemetery,** ”

“Hmm… Kakashi… Let's hope he didn’t smell you either,” she giggled as the bird pecked at her hand feeling insulted by such a prospect.

At least one thing was working out. She could now move into stage two there as well. Stretching she felt her bones crack. Ah, her muscles were exhausted from the intense concentration every day.

“I need a break…” she muttered. Mokuhi landed on her head.

“ **Hmmm, Saku, you have been traveling I see?** ”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“ **Your soul. I see a change. CRA!** ”

“Oh yeah. Just by accident,” she tried to forget that unfortunate day. At least neither Hidan nor Itachi showed up again ever since. Pain really kept them busy with missions. Unlike Sakura. She was suspecting that the man wanted to keep her close by, but why. Was he still distrustful of her?

“ **Hmmm… You feel more like a raven now…** ” the bird tilted his little head. Beady eyes stared at her from above.

“Yeah yeah… Alright, you can go now, Mokuhi, thank you,” the raven nodded and puffed away. She looked around considering her next steps. She needed to clear her head even more. A clear image of the pale man came to her mind. Sakura smirked to herself. Yeah, it has been a while since they met.

━━━━━━━━━━

Orochimaru was feeling restless. Not that much time had passed since Saku visited him, yet each passing day he caught his thoughts straying more and more. It was getting annoying. Even a long-forgotten concept of dreams had returned to him during the night to remind him of the kunoichi.

His mind had a will of its own as he experienced unfamiliar ideas in his dreams. Sometimes it would be what he expected - images of passionate interactions, but other times… Other times he would dream of the most ordinary things with Saku. Like eating together. Working together. Waking up together…

The disappointment that followed in the morning was frustrating. This body of his sure showed the deepest urgest he had and sannin tried his best to ignore it all. Orochimaru simply wrote it off to the good sex she provided. Something purely physical he needed.

“Lord Orochimaru?” Kabuto disrupted his train of thought.

“What issss it?” he snapped at the silver-haired man.

“You seem agitated, my lord. Is there anything I could do for you?” Kabuto smirked. His glasses glimmered hiding what surely was a patronizing stare. Orochimaru had no illusions that Kabuto didn't know exactly why he was on edge.

Quicker than in a blink of an eye, the snake appeared before Kabuto and grabbed him by the neck.

“Do. Not. Tesssst. My. Patiencccce, Kabuto,” he hissed squeezing tighter. He then let go and turned away.

“I would never dare to, my lord. Apologies for my insolence,” he responded after coughing a bit. Yes, Kabuto knew exactly what disrupted his master. Actually, it was rather amusing for him to witness how the Legendary Snake Sannin was affected by one pink-haired woman.

Of course, no matter how he wanted to slander such weakness, Kabuto was not exempt from the effect the woman had on all of them. No, he definitely was not. As he returned to his room, Kabuto walked to his bed and took a little piece of fabric from under his pillow.

He placed the fabric by his nose and inhaled deeply. Ah, the sweet scent of Saku filled his mind completely. Kabuto clear as day could imagine her now as he sniffed at the underwear he stole. The silky black lace was an item of comfort during his dark nights.

Secretly, the man hoped that his master would task him with fetching Saku for him. It would be a perfect chance to set his own claws into her soft (he imagined) skin. Ah, but he was patient. Sooner or later either of them will get bored with the other and then he will be there. Patiently waiting for his chance.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I am actually taking the concept of how nuclear power plants generate energy and using it while talking how chakra is generated in a body 🤔 I hope that makes at least some sense to you all 😊


	49. Taking a Break

Sakura still slaved away in her labs. The lingering idea of venturing outside Ame disappeared as quickly as it formed. She just had too many ideas to test and work on. After a few more days, she did wander around the tower aimlessly as her thoughts went over all the data she collected so far.

“Pinky?! Are you listening?” she turned around and finally snapped back to reality to notice Kisame walking her way.

“Yo,” she lazily raised her hand in greeting. How long has it been since she last saw the man? How long has it been since she even arrived in Amegakure? She honestly did not keep track of time anymore.

“You okay? You look pale, shrimp,” the man stopped before her and leaned closer.

“Super-duper,” Sakura answered her voice dry. Kisame barked a laugh.

“Come, eat with me! Itachi never wants to eat together,” it didn’t look like the man was about to take a no for an answer as his arm was already wrapped around her shoulders and guided her towards the common areas.

“Okay?” she muttered surrendering to the situation. She did feel hungry.

“Hey, I’m glad you’re still alive! The boys look far more lively with you around,” he snickered as if there was some inside joke she was not aware of.

“The boys?” Sakura curved her eyebrow in a questioning manner.

“Yeah yeah, others from Akatsuki.”

“I haven’t even met everyone yet…” she said as a matter of fact.

“Oh, is that so? How rude of them! Tell me their names, and I will make them suffer,” he laughed yet she sensed that he would indeed make them suffer.

“It’s fine. We’re here not to make friends or anything,” she shrugged casually.

“That is where you are wrong, pinky! We, no matter how dysfunctional, are a unit. Like one big murderous family,” he snickered as they entered a big room with a kitchen. There was a large table with seats around it. It did not look like it was used much.

“Yeah, sure,” she cringed. The word family just sounded wrong. She didn’t have a need for a family. Or comrades. This was all temporary, Sakura told herself as she sat on the table. Her feet dangled from the edge, barely brushing the ground.

“Hmmm, do you ever sleep?” Kisame continued his odd line of questioning while perusing over cabinets and picking various ingredients out.

“I will sleep when I die. Now I want to live,” she shrugged assuming that black circles around her eyes betrayed her awful habit of working for days without rest. She closed her eyes and focused her chakra to transform her skin in a true Tsunade manner. Since she left Konoha, Sakura didn’t bother to use transformation, but if it will prevent others from questioning her like Kisame did just now, she might as well revert in doing hiding the truth again.

“Yeah, sure,” he giggled and had to do a double-take when he glanced her way. His eyes narrowed inspecting her face. Sakura raised her eyebrow again challenging him to say anything. He didn’t. Kisame was a smart man. Knew what’s good for him.

“Saku, Kisame,” Sakura turned her head to spot Itachi entering the room as well. She almost fell off the table at the sight. She blinked carefully, focusing on the figure behind Uchiha. Fuckin Fugaku waved at her!

“Are you alright, Saku-san?” Itachi asked as he of course spotted her momentary slip-up. He even glanced behind his shoulder as he tracked her gaze.

“Yeah, peachy. What do you want, Uchiha?” she asked, actually addressing both the living and the dead heirs of the clan.

“Kisame offered food,” Itachi answered nonchalantly as he sat down at the end of the table. Back to the wall, eyes trained on her and the door. So paranoid.

“ _So you can see me now as well, shinobi? This is fate,_ ” Fugaku said and she actually heard his voice loud and clear. For fucks sake, something did go wrong after her last soul trip. She rolled her eyes and turned, still seated on the edge of the table, to look at Itachi.

“Hey! You said you didn’t want to eat!” Kisame complained from the back with a knife in his hand pointing it in an accusatory manner at his partner.

“I have changed my mind,” Itachi deadpanned, keeping eye contact with her. She was almost certain that he noticed her transformation in some way and was barely controlling his urge to use sharingan. Saku smirked.

“Maaa, Itachi, don’t be shy! You can say it if you missed us,” she said sweetly with an eye crinkle smile. Kisame was laughing. Itachi said nothing. Fugaku hummed.

“ _He was always a shy kid,_ ” the ghostly man nods. Sakura tries to ignore his commanding presence.

Then another pair of chakra enter the room. She gives a glance to the door. A flash of silver quickly appears before her.

“Pinky! I thought I heard your sweet voice,” Hidan smiles widely, staring down at her eyes with that hint of unmistakable crazy behind his purple irises.

“Yo,” she greets him casually. The man leans back with a laugh and Sakura considers if he is related in some way to Naruto.

“Maaan, you would have loved our last mission, it was a major biiiiitch!” he talked, taking a seat closer to her completely ignoring the others. Kakuzu wordlessly sits farther away, by Itachi.

“Aww, did you make up with your boyfriend already?” she bats her eyelashes glancing between Kakuzu and Hidan.

“Oy!”

“I will kill you both one of these days,” Kakuzu grumbled, not daring to start anything while there were too many witnesses around.

“Hmm, did all of the serial killers of Akatsuki decide to take a day off or something?” she thinks aloud looking over the room with so many members in one place. Her eyes twinkle with mischief. “Hey, maybe we should all go to therapy together?”

Hidan and Kisame are the only ones to laugh. Only now did she notice the strange dynamic behind the pairs of Akatsuki. Looks like each had a silent deadly type paired with a more relaxed person who actually has a sense of humor. Is that what balance looks like, she wondered ignoring the conversation that was happening around her.

That is until Kisame shoved a bowl of seafood soup into her lap. Another bowl was placed in front of Itachi. Shark-man sat with two bowls of serving for himself.

“OY! Kisame, isn’t it like cannibalism for you to eat sea creatures or something?” Hidan pondered. She chuckled. Sakura swears, that Hidan is a closeted genius sometimes. As they continued to argue about ethics, she slid off the table and took a seat at the end of the table. Hidan on her right, Kisame on her left, Itachi right in front of her with Kakuzu right next to him.

“Wow, is this how family dinners look like?” she blurted out amused as she casually lowered her mask and started eating leisurely. There is silence for a moment. “What?” she raised her eyes to notice all of them staring at her.

“I don’t think any of us would know, shrimpy,” Kisame is the one to answer her rhetorical question. Right. Killers like them don’t usually have a good family to begin with. What a bonding moment, she thinks with bitterness.

“You would be surprised how many killers do what they do because of their parents,” she casually shrugged, taking another spoonful of the soup. Damn, it was good. She savored the taste in her mouth. And if her comment was directed at Fugaku, the man did not acknowledge it.

“Newbie, why do you even wear that mask?” Hidan asked, still staring at her face. Right, this was probably the first time any of them saw it.

“Habit? It was very effective in annoying everyone back in Konoha,” she considered if that would be a reason enough for them.

“HAHAHAHA! You’re a beast, Saku!” Hidan barked a laugh, the stupid idiot he was, taking her words for what they are. Yet, for a second there she got a flashback of Shikamaru’s cheerful face as he said the exact same line. 

“Ahem,” a curt voice cut through their conversation and Sakura didn’t have to turn around to know that it is Konan in the doorway commanding attention. “Saku-san, Leader-sama is summoning you.”

“Aww, did Wolfy-kun miss me already?” Sakura glanced back at the woman with her mask pulled back in place. Eye crinkle smile at full blast. Konan didn’t react as she stepped outside choosing to ignore that remark.

Sakura left without a second look at her _comrades_. She can still hear Hidan’s distinct voice behind her.

“ _Wolfy-kun_? What the fuck is that about? Oy! Pinky! Don’t tell me Leader got a piece of you before me????!!” she chuckled at that. In the shadows of the hallway, she can see Konan’s eye twitch.

━━━━━━━━━━

Konan led Saku down to Nagato’s private chambers without much joy. Yes, she was happy to see her friend healed, but… The woman was simply infuriating! Usually, Konan could read people pretty well, but Saku, that was a different story.

She couldn’t tell if the woman was seriously flirting with her friend or was it all a ploy to get a reaction from her? And Nagato didn’t do anything to reprimand the insulting behavior of their new recruit! Maybe that was the part that angered her the most… It made her doubt what Nagato’s real intentions were.

They stopped by the door for a second before entering. Konan left to stand on the side carefully observing the two.

“ _Wolfy-sama!_ ” her eye twitched again. _How she dared to disrespect Nagato like that??!!_

“Haruno, state your update.”

“Aww, yes! Looks like your cells are recovering well after I trained them how to correctly respond to the jutsu you are using. Why don’t why get you out of that ugly machine, Wolfy-sama?”

“No! It is too dangerous!” Konan could not stay back and observe. She could not allow the intruder to endanger Nagato. Even though she had to admit that he looked stronger.

“Boooo, don’t be such a pussy, Konan-san,” Saku pouted sending a glare her way. Oh, she would love to smack that little face out of existence.

“Enough,” Nagato’s voice stopped her as Konan opened her mouth. He didn’t sound frail like before.

“Alright alright, why don’t we start with hands first, huh? You could make hand signs again! And grope people again!” Saku’s chirpy voice echoed over the silence. Konan was paralyzed with disbelief. Surely, Nagato would not go through with such a crazy idea…

“Do it,” he nodded to Konan’s horror. Three paths appeared in the room keeping their distance. The pink-haired woman didn’t even flinch or take them into account as she walked closer to Nagato. Konan tensed ready to attack at any second.

Saku’s left hand started to glow a healing green light as she placed it on Nagato’s bicep. With the other hand, the woman grasped onto the machine part.

There was a loud crack of metal as the machine under the woman's grasp cracked. She was unnaturally strong. The parts and bits of it fell to the ground and Nagato’s left arm saw the ‘light of day’. Saku’s right hand started to glow as well as she quickly went over the exposed appendage.

“See?? All good,” the woman beamed a smile under her mask. Her hands stopped glowing and instead she intertwined her fingers with Nagato’s! Konan shivered with rage. _How DARE she???!!_

The feeling was irrational. Konan should be happy for her _friend_ being healthy again, but… a little part in her mind wanted to rip that annoying woman away and slice her to bits!

“I see. I have feeling in my hand again,” Nagato said with curiosity moving his fingers still intertwined. Like he was holding another person's hand for the first time. Konan was bitter. And jealous.

“Yeah, cool huh? Here, you feel my heart?” Konan’s eyes widened as she watched Saku place Nagato’s hand on her chest…

“Yes! I feel it!” Nagato’s eyes twinkled as he undoubtedly relished in the long-forgotten sensation of a simple touch. Was it only Konan disturbed by the scene? It wasn’t right… no, not at all! 

Indeed, Nagato was not overthinking his actions. He simply was amazed by how quickly his body responded to Saku’s healing sessions. Here he hoped only to be sustained, but now he actually could move his hand again. His fingers.

He grasped at the cloth covering her chest. Fabric. It was fabric he felt with his fingertips. And warmth coming off the woman’s body. Underneath was something soft that he grasped.

“Maaa, Wolfy-kun, I did not expect you to be so forward. Do you want me to take my shirt off first maybe?” the woman chuckled and he could not understand why. Often, he did not understand the meaning behind Saku’s words. This was one of those times.

“Why would I want that?”

“Well, usually men like to fondle breasts directly, not over clothing,” she shrugged and his eyes drifted towards his own hand. Oh. He paused for a moment thinking over his next actions.

“Why? What is the difference?” he bore his eyes into Saku again looking for answers. Why would clothing make a difference? A touch was a touch.

“Mmm...key, you tell me,” she giggled again, taking his now free hand into her tiny palms and leading it under the lapel of her shirt. His fingers felt like they were burned by the intense heat coming off her skin. The skin felt so soft and gentle. Like silk, he imagined. 

Then he felt something even softer under his grasp. With a small perked up and pronoun... Nipple?... Was that what he was feeling under his palm? Nagato looked curiously at her chest as if he could see right through her shirt. He grasped it carefully measuring his power and the mobility in his fingers.

“Well, can you tell the difference?” she whispered leaning closer to his ear. Her breathing was deep and Nagato didn’t understand why.

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly tilting his head and giving a couple more grasps at her.

“Well, maybe you’ll have to compare it to something else? Anyways, now with your hand free, you can do anything!” she said cheerfully but there was something odd glimmering in her eyes. Nagato pulled his hand away and nodded slowly. 

Saku proceeded to free his right hand the same way. It was strange to move again. His shoulders felt strained, but they were just locked from so many years of immobility.

“Legs next time, Wolfy-kun!”

“Yes. You are dismissed for now,” he said eyes still looking at his own hands as he carefully moved each finger. The woman left. After fifteen minutes of self-exploration, he noticed that Konan was still in the room.

“What is it, Konan?” he asked, noticing strange chakra coming from the woman.

“...”

“Konan?”

“Nagato… why are you allowing _her_ to behave like _that_?”

“What do you mean? Saku healed me,” he narrowed his eyes trying to get a grasp on the situation.

“Ha! Did you actually enjoy touching her?!” he was lost. The anger coming from his long time friend was puzzling. Didn’t she want him to be healed?

“Konan, approach me,” he ordered in a stern voice not very much thrilled with her strange reaction. The woman reluctantly obeyed, and he could see her eyes avoid his gaze.

Why wouldn’t he enjoy being able to touch again? Was there a difference like Saku said? Nagato could not clearly understand everything as the women clearly made no sense. But he wanted to compare, just like Saku suggested.

Stretching his arm towards Konan he placed his palm on her chest. The woman's head snapped right at him. Nagato was carefully watching as his fingers grasped the fabric and softness underneath again. Interesting, it did feel different. For once, Konan’s heart felt like it was beating way faster than Saku’s. But the cloth was in the way. He frowned.

“Drop your cloak,” he ordered. Konan’s shivering fingers did just that. Ah, yes, the less fabric there was the better he could feel it. The warmth. The beating heart.

“Yes, I do enjoy having feeling in my hands again. Is that wrong? Do you not want me to feel again?” he looked up at Konan’s face. There was a rosy tint on her cheeks. Was she finally regretting her silly outburst?

“Nagato…” she said his name in a whisper with that same strange glint in her eyes just like Saku had. Interesting. He would have to experiment more on his new sensations. He trusted Konan to help him with that. There was no one he trusted more.

━━━━━━━━━━


	50. Killer Art

Sakura left Nagato with a heavy sigh. As she walked down the corridor alone, there was that sensation below her abdomen that was nagging her. Wanting more. She could have pushed the poor man for more, but Konan definitely would have killed her then. Now it was more of an 80% chance of death by her hand. 

Lost in thought, the woman ended up in front of her room door. Yet, there was already someone waiting for her. Sakura stopped and looked over the leaning figure.

“Pinky! Fuckin finally!” Hidan pushed himself from the wall and crossed his arms looking at her with narrowed eyes.

“What?”

“Well?”

“... Hidan, you have to use full sentences, we talked about that already,” she smiled at him with her eyes. The man snorted but didn’t move away from her door.

“So? Are you and Pain a thing now?” he asked bluntly. Sakura blinked a couple of times unsure of where this was coming from. Why in hell would she date the guy? And why would Hidan care? 

“Nah, Konan called dibs first,” she sighed dramatically.

“Oh...HAHAHA cool cool cool... So, you got a fuckin’ mission or something?” Hidan asked, a bit more relaxed.

“Nop. He just groped my boob,” she shrugged and pushed him aside so she could finally open the door. 

“WHAT? THE FUCK? You just said you were not a thing?”

“We are not,” Sakura said nonchalantly, still having some patience to talk with the man. As she walked inside, Sakura didn’t bother to even attempt closing the door, as Hidan barged in right after her.

“So what the fuck? Do you just let anyone do that?” honestly, she wasn’t sure why Hidan was so bothered by it. She never took him for a prude with all the talk he did. Maybe she was wrong.

“Yup, pretty much,” she nodded, grabbing a couple of scrolls from her table. As Hidan didn’t respond back, she looked behind to find his face unusually serious. “What?”

“I don’t fuckin’ know. You tell me?!”

“What...?” now Hidan was really acting weird. She almost expected such a reaction from the likes of Itachy (with dialed down emotions), but still, not someone like Hidan. What was his problem? She practically gave him green light just now to do as he wishes, to fulfill all that he promised, and yet he was now, what? Judging her?

“You’re fucked up,” he said without the usual smirk or teasing tone.

“ _You’re_ telling me that?” she arched her eyebrow and crossed her arms on her chest. Sakura’s patience was running out quickly.

“All shinobi kill. Even civilians. There is nothing messed up about that,” he challenged and Sakura had yet to see his point.

“Yeah, we are all tools. For killing or for pleasure, what’s the difference?”

“Fuckin’ ell! So you like being touched by anyone and don’t give a fuck who it is?”

“Hmmm, not by anyone, I guess,” the only reason why Sakura was even entertaining this conversation, was the odd behavior Hidan showed. He might have bipolar disorder or something, she considered.

“SO you have _pleasure_ when it is Pain?” there was an odd tone to the way Hidan used her own word to describe the use Pain got of her. Pleasure. What was wrong about that, she wondered.

“Nop, not really. I’m pretty sure he liked it, though.”

“Then why the fuck’ did you allow it? You should do such things only when _you_ want them _with_ someone you want to!”

“Are you telling me what to do and how to live?” her tone was getting colder by the second.

“YEAH, you bet I fuckin’ am! Because it looks like no one told you that before. And you don’t have the common sense to get it yourself!” he said with anger heavily laced in his harsh voice.

Sakura stared with shock clear in her eyes. She understood the words he was saying, but it still was strange to be challenged so directly. Like a flashback, her past & present life images circled over her eyes. Hidan was right. No one did tell her that before. It was always just ‘obey’ and ‘do as I say’ and ‘please me’. There was never a question of what does she want.

“Hidan,” her voice was very quiet and dangerous. Killing intent leaked from her being as her body slightly shivered. “You should leave. OR. I will cut your head off, look for the label, and send it right back where it came from.”

“Fuck you,” he sneered at her for the last time and left, cloak shimmering behind him. The door shut with a bang. 

Oh, how she wanted just that. To cut him into small bits and pieces. Yet, that would cause her much trouble with Kakuzu and Nagato. Not worth it. She let out a frustrated yell instead and stomped to her bedroom.

━━━━━━━━━━

Hidan used to be someone she could relax with. Someone who made her laugh. But now he was only another monster haunting her dreams. She could deal with it if in her dreams the man would fight her. Or yell at her.

But nooooo! Her mind went a whole different direction with the silver-haired fox. There were a few scenarios that circled around her unconscious mind. One where Hidan hugs her just like that time Kakashi did. While she cries. Another, where he looks at her with pity. Similar to how the Yamanaka heir would glance at her after that visit to T&I.

Then there were few dreams where he would sweep her away from Konoha and she just feels so helpless yet safe in his embrace. And that feeling of weakness in his presence is what angers her beyond any reason. The feeling of shame and helplessness. As if she ever would need any help from him!

Sakura was in a bad mood to say it lightly. Hidans existence and outburst a couple of days ago pushed something that she kept locked away within her mind. She didn’t like it at all. So when Pain's path showed up to fetch her, Sakura barely controlled herself not to snap at the dead body controlled by her ‘Leader’.

“...”

Pain looked at her curiously as she didn’t greet him, or smile, or say anything as she entered his office.

“Is there something the matter, Saku-san?” he asked with a cold emotionless voice.

“ _No, Leader-sama,_ ” she gritted out a response. Eyes blazing with furry.

“Hmm,” he laced his fingers in front of him and placed his chin on top as his eyes kept staring. “Are you aware of the work Akatsuki does?”

“Yes?”

“Tell me, what do we, Akatsuki, do?”

 _Shit_. All her anger was shifted and replaced with her ever rational mind. She couldn’t just tell the plans she was aware of from her past. She wasn’t supposed to know that! Yet, she could not play too dumb either.

“Mmmm, kill people? Get money to be stronger until other nations have to respect our authority?” she tried her best to put it in the vaguest way possible.

“Hmm. Yes, I guess you could say it like that. And do you know _how_ we will achieve that?”

“I was jinchuriki’s teammate when Itachi-kun came to visit Konoha, so I have an idea.”

Pain nodded with approval. Sakura breathed a little easier at that.

“Yes. We are targeting the tailed beasts. So what will you do if I task you to hunt down your fellow Konoha shinobi for his tailed beast?”

“I would ask if you need him in one piece or just alive enough?” Sakura considered and that would definitely be something she would ask. Kami, in a million years she has never considered fighting Naruto seriously, but some part of her, deeeeeep deep inside, was curious to see if she could beat the legendary and fuckin’ semi-god Naruto Uzumaki.

“I see. So you have no reservations left against Konoha?”

“Fuck ‘em! Honestly, in your place, I would just go and kill all the Kages and take over the nations and be fuckin’ done with it!”

“Hmm, killing to stop killing is not an answer to end the cycle,” he looked mildly displeased with her harsh tone and lack of respect. Maybe she was overstepping her boundaries, but Sakura had too much anger and nowhere to channel it until now.

“So what? Tailed beasts would not do the same? They would not only kill but destroy villages! AND how would you even control them all? I’ve seen what Naruto can do! Konoha was once destroyed by the Kyubi! It...”

“Enough!” He cut her off and Sakura reluctantly shut her mouth. “Are you doubting my powers?”

“Well, I don’t know much about Rinnegan, so I cannot doubt your powers without knowing anything about them. What I do know, that it is said that only Uchiha was able to control tailed beasts! So unless you plan on taking some Uchiha’s eyes I…”

“That is enough,” Sakura couldn’t tell if he was angry with her little outburst or not, but there was definitely something behind the stare he gave her. Like he was measuring her words. Maybe he was surprised to find her so bloodthirsty. Or maybe he was insulted. She couldn’t tell.

“...”

“Do you consider that killing is the answer? What is your reasoning behind it?” he finally asked with a hint of curiosity.

“We cannot be satisfied until we have eliminated all others that oppose us. It has nothing to do with reason. It is instinct.“

“I see. So you will kill anyone that is in your way?”

“Yes.”

“Even me?”

Sakura tilted her head slightly. She wondered if she was busted, but honestly, her mental state was so exhausted from all the rage, that she did not consider to fear for her life at the moment.

“Why would I kill you if we are both going the same way?” she said a bit tired from all the talk. Her head already hurt. “I just want to do my thing. You want to do your thing. And we both don’t want to see ‘high & mighty’ villages torture innocent, right?”

“Yes, that is correct,” he hummed in approval of her response. Looks like she is not about to die just yet. “I am absolute, Saku. Remember that.”

“Yeah yeah, Wolfy-sama, I worship you on my knees every night,” she sighed, but a small smile did tug on her lips again. Ah, did she just vent to the Leader of Akatsuki, feared by nations? That she did and her body felt lite like a feather with pleasant relief washing over her.

“Now, for your next mission…”

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura walked out of Pain's office feeling exhausted yet rested all at the same time. She was amazed at how skillfully the bastard managed to read her emotions, direct her attention into an outlet, and get information about her point of view all at once.

Was he still testing where her loyalties lay? Most definitely. Was he verifying if her ideas align with his ideology? Without a doubt. Was he on to her scheme to kill him? Potentially. For now, she felt safe and with another goal set before her.

Tomorrow will be her first mission with Sasori and Deidara. She was relieved to hear that it was not the one to capture Gaara. Looks like Pain did not trust her that much, to allow her to work with tailed beasts. Or maybe he was waiting for her chakra to be of an acceptable level. Either way, she was glad. Maybe she could avoid Gaara all together. 

Sasori on the other hand she could no longer avoid. They will have to work together. _He_ very much like Kakuzu, could suspect of her connection with Orochimaru. But surprisingly, that did not scare her. No, Sakura was feeling a challenge. A hidden goal for herself to keep fooling the murderers around her. Well, maybe not ‘fooling’ but rather keeping a secret such ‘insignificant’ details of her personal sex life.

━━━━━━━━━━

The next day Sakura showed up half an hour early by the gates of Ame. The rain was pouring down on her, but she was not getting wet, nor was her cloak. She wasn’t sure why Pain assigned it to her, but at least it would be a good distraction from her work and thoughts for that matter. Hidan’s wordless stares still appeared before her closed eyes. It still bothered Sakura, how an idiot like him got under her skin so easily.

“Hey! So you are the newbie?” a cheerful blond blob walked towards her.

“Yo,” the woman raised her hand in greeting.

“I am Deidara! The one and only artist of this miserable bunch.”

“Saku. Just hear to kill people.”

“Mahahaha! Oh please don’t tell me that you’re one of those grumpy types? Can you even appreciate the blooming beauty and its destruction?”

“Hmmm, I can explode bodies to bits with an artistic red splatter?” she suggested.

“REALLY? Finally! Someone who would appreciate the...”

“You are on time,” a low voice cut the blond off as the hunched figure appeared next to them. Saku glanced down to the very life-like eyes. 

“Yo. Saku,” she introduced herself again, but Sasori did not pay her much attention as he headed out first. Deidara rolled his eyes.

“The asshole is always in a rush. You know, needs to get back in time for his nap, the old bastard,” youngster muttered, but followed his partner out. Sakura was walking next to Deidara. Compared to other Akatsuki, the boy was rather harmless.

Sakura focused her senses on Sasori. As expected, there was no blood or water inside the puppet. The cold empty shell was all that was left of the redhead. But, there was something she could work with. Right in the center. There was that container with a heart. She barely could feel it as it was protected with seals. Knowing had to be enough for now.

“So, Saku, what inspires you?” Deidara was the one to keep up the chatter. As expected.

“Hm?”

“Oh you see, if an artist doesn't get high levels of inspiration, his sentiments are dulled. Art is beauty that lasts for just a moment. To me, the essence of art is - an explosion!"

“Okay?”

“Art has to be eternal,” Sasori grumbled as if this discussion was like a ritual for the pair. It probably was, she guessed.

“Pffft, my man Sasori is just a relic of the past, he knows nothing of true art!”

“I don’t think I know anything about art either, sorry,” she shrugged.

“Okay, imagine that you're gonna die! How would you go? The ending has to be worthy of an art. So would you be immortalized or go with a BANG?” Deidara was rather too eager to talk about such morbid things. Sakura didn’t mind as she contemplated how she would go about killing herself this time around.

“Hm. I do not strive to be immortal. So I guess, the only way I would die is in a fight surrounded by the blood of my enemies?”

“Maaan, that sounds like a lot of fun!”

“Yup.”

Deidara proceeded to tell her all about the various ways he planned to create his last ‘bang’. He said it had to be a masterpiece worthy of an earth-shattering explosion. Sakura tried to listen and get a read on the boy. He turned out to be the perfect distraction her tired mind craved.

As they reached their destination in the Land of Lightning, Deidara proceeded to show off his moves, while she patiently waited by Sasori’s side watching from a distance in silence.

“Sasori-san, you are a poison master, right?” she asked then.

“..hmgh..” a sound came from the puppet as he did not dignify to answer her.

“I heard that Tsunade is even better than you,” she smirked, glancing in his direction. What in the sage's name was she doing? It was equivalent to poking Madara with a senbon. Ah, that rush when self-destruction kicks in was too sweet to pass on.

“Slug princess is a scam. She will never understand the art behind my craft,” he practically hissed at her.

“Oh? Would you mind sharing your poison with me?” the puppet crept dangerously as he turned to her fully.

“Only if you want to die, woman.”

“Oh? Is that a yes? Aww, you are too sweet, Sasori-kun!” she chirped with her eye crinkle smile. Too bad that the puppet was made of wood. She would love to see his face cringe and twitch.

“Child, you will make for a great puppet, when I’m done with you,” he growled in a low tone.

“Then it’s settled! Let’s have a spar back in Ame! If I win, you give me poison. If you win, well, you get a new and banging puppet,” she still smiled under her mask. To be honest, she wanted to compare just how much stronger she was. This time, she would face him head-on without any help from an old lady. How embarrassing that was the last time…

Sakura remembered how she felt like a helpless and blind kitten standing before Sasori. Only Chyo’s reaction saved her life back then. She was still weak and pathetic. Sakura will have her redemption, she decided.

“Agreed,” he said and there was mild excitement she caught in his voice with a blast echoing somewhere in the distance.

“HEY! Did you see that, Saku? Now THAT’S what I call a BANG, uhn!” Deidara’s bird landed beside them.

“Yeah, looked like it was a blast,” she directed a far more genuine smile to Deidara. The blond laughed at her joke with approval.

“We are wasting time,” Sasori grumbled back to his state of emotionlessness. Saku hummed in agreement and the three of them went into the demolished city to collect the artifact tasked for them to find.

It was a scroll sealed inside an underground temple. The daimyo of this land only asked to destroy the village, but Pain of course had his own agenda.

“You know, Deidara-kun, I think I understand now what you were talking about. Sometimes, when we see something too beautiful there is that urge to destroy it. To squeeze it in your hand until it is reduced to dust,” she wondered aloud.

“Yeah! Maaaan, I knew you would get it, uhn!”

“Yes. I think the beauty of life is what gives me the urge to destroy it and leave bloody carnage behind,” in reality, it probably was her bitterness that fueled her bloodthirst. Heck, it might as well be jealousy. She really did want to destroy everyone and everything. Those happy faces she could never truly have herself… Again, Hidan’s judgemental face appeared before her eyes, taking her smile away.

“ _That_ is not art,” Sasori interjected with a huff not even providing any arguments to his statement.

“Uh-uh! It sure is! Don’t listen to the asshole, Saku. I approve of your approach!” Deidara beamed a smile at her and Sakura could not help but smile right back at him. The boy was too young, full of his idealistic views. He has not seen the true and ugly darkness of the world and yet both of them have the same idea in the end.

You would think that after killing another person, one would change and never be the same. You’ll never be you again. When you actually do it and wake up the next morning and you’re still you. And then you realize that was you all along.

Sakura would have never thought that one day she would stand next to Sasori wearing an Akatsuki cloak. But here she was. Killing people left and right. And it was still her. Still Sakura Haruno. True colors no longer suppressed by chains of shinobi rules.

The ruthless killer was her all along.

━━━━━━━━━━


	51. The Art of Surviving

Sakura returned with Sasori and Deidara and a mission successfully completed. As they walked towards Pains office to present their report and the scroll they retrieved, the door opened letting two other figures out.

They passed each other without saying a word or acknowledging their existence in the first place. Sakura was still upset with Hidan and did not want to deal with his nonsense. While Kakuzu trailing behind the silver fox was the one to notice her as he tried to stab her yet again with his sneaky wire.

Sakura dodged halfheartedly. She could tell the man was not too serious with his attack. Still, she gave him a small wave as they passed each other. He wasn’t that bad of a guy. Just an old old bitter man. A lot like herself.

“You okay, Saku, yeah?” Deidara poked her to the side.

“Hmn? Yeah?”

“Did that asshole just try to kill you?”

“Yeah?”

“The hell?!?! Why didn’t you kill him back or something, uhn?”

“It’s kinda our thing. He tries to kill me, I don’t die. It pisses him off beyond belief,” she snickered while Deidara still eyed like _she_ was the crazy one.

“You cannot just kill the zombie duo,” Sasori grumbled. Sakura was surprised that he actually paid that much attention to her idle chatter with Deidara. 

“Freaks…” the blond snorted.

“Am I a freak too?” Sakura glanced at him with a cocked eyebrow.

“What? NO! I …” Deidara was flailing around and stuttering. Sakura chuckled, patting him on the shoulder definitely not in a threatening manner.

“Now now, you were right. I _am_ quite a freak,” there was that crazy smile behind her mask. Eyes closed into a crinkle. Deidara continued to curse under his breath muttering something about no one matching up to Sasori.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Let’s go. I do not have time to waste,” Sasori ushered Saku as they left Pain's office.

“What does the old man want from you?” Deidara whispered walking along.

“He was kind enough to agree for a spar with me,” the woman explained with excitement clear in her words. Her foul mood seemed to evaporate after facing Pain.

Deidara was highly curious about this new member of Akatsuki he heard only whispers off. At first, he was glad to know that there was someone younger than him! He would not be pushed around anymore by the old fools. 

The only issue with Saku was that she was from Konoha just like that scumbag Uchiha! Maybe, she could help him, Deidara considered. After speaking with her and killing alongside her, the blond felt a connection with the young woman. They shared similar views even if their techniques were different. Despite her age, Saku proved to be skilled too. That he could respect.

On the other hand, there were moments when he seriously wondered about her sanity. What bothered Deidara the most, was that her words didn’t match up to her calculated and calm actions. She was playing some kind of game and he wasn’t sure what to think of it.

“Spar?? You’re joking? Master Sasori will end you, uhn!” with wide eyes he openly stared at the pink-haired kunoichi.

“Naaah. He’ll only turn me into a puppet if I lose,” she said nonchalantly, making shivers go down the man’s back. Yes, he acknowledged that Sasori was stronger than him, but Deidara still considered those puppets to be too creepy.

“Wait! You can’t!” Deidara tried to stop Saku knowing by now how ruthless his partner was. The girl had no chance against the potent poison hidden in every part of Sasori. Yet, there she was, going into the training grounds behind hunched down Sasori.

“Shit,” he muttered, giving up on convincing either of the two about the stupidity of this ‘spar’. Deidara settled to watch the little fight from the high vantage point of a balcony. He leaned on the railing and trained his eyes on two figures below.

It started slowly with Sasori’s wiper thing whipping at the girl and then a rain of senbon fell down dripping with poison from their tips. Deidara almost choked as he didn’t expect Saku to just stand still not avoiding any of the senbons.

With a single arm, she only covered her face allowing the needles to pierce her skin. Blond expected her to fall down right away, but she stood still and there was a clear smirk behind her mask.

“What the…” Deidara mazed considering if this woman could be a master of poisons just like Sasori. He knew she was a healer, but would that be enough to counter his partner's carefully crafted toxins?

“How are you doing this? One needle should kill you!” Sasori also sounded annoyed. To their mutual surprise, Saku laughed. Her voice was melodic and cheerful.

“Maaa, Sasori-san, was this supposed to do anything?” she taunted the old man as she twirled one senbon she caught between her fingers. Slowly with the other hand, Saku lowered her mask and licked the poison from the tip of the needle.

Deidara stared at her face seeing it for the first time. It wasn’t unusual for missing-nin like them to wear masks or hide their appearance, so he didn’t question it before. Now, with the mask gone, the man considered what was Saku's reasoning.

She didn’t have any abnormal features or traits to have to hide them. Actually, she looked pretty decent, the blond thought. There was a feral growl coming from Sasori. Deidara smirked. He really enjoyed how Saku toyed with his partner. Maybe she really had a chance.

“The crazy woman…” he smirked.

“What is going on here?” Deidara violently flinched as his head snapped away from the fight to the man standing behind him. 

“Nothing that would concern you, Uchiha,” blond grimaced before turning his gaze back at the pink blob down below. She was moving leisurely to avoid jabs from Sasori. Then one instance she was there, the next she appeared behind Sasori with her fist coming down at full force

Considering that Deidara saw only the woman’s blood technique, the enormous force behind her punch came as a complete surprise to him. The ground cracked along with the wood of Sasori’s puppet. Smoke engulfed the pair.

“Maaan,” Deidara whistled in awe.

“Why are they fighting?” Itachi stood not far away from him as he said it. Deidara tried his best to ignore the sound of his voice, but couldn’t.

“It’s called a spar! Now you should fuck off, yeah?”

Itachi glanced straight into Deidara’s blue eyes. Sizing him up maybe? Or just looking down on him as usual?!? Blond's jaw clenched. He wanted to yell something more, but a bang from the fighting area caught his attention.

Both he and Itachi turned their heads just in time to spot Saku holding a kunai to a redhead boy’s blade. Deidara has never seen this puppet before. 

“Yooooou...” the familiar raspy voice of Sasori came from the redhead. “It has been a while since anyone saw my original form.”

“Maaaaa, you look adorable!” Saku coed barely avoiding precise slices from Sasori. “No wonder you hide such a cute face.”

The delicate dance between the two continued. Deidara would have liked to see some more power and destruction, but the mere fact that Saku could hold on against Master Sasori was astonishing. Observing from above, Deidara and Itachi were the first to notice gentle fog forming.

“Sasori is done,” Itachi declared turning around and leaving the balcony. Deidara gaped in confusion. Was there something he was missing? It was only a little fog, what could… Deidara turned around back to the field to see now a thick white haze covering everything from view.

“What the…” the man tried to sense Saku or Sasori, but the fog was like an iron cover hiding everything and anything that hides within. Not even his left eye could see over the fog. With tension building in the air, he waited to see what would happen. This had to be Saku’s technique. And as much as he denied everything Itachi said, Deidara sure hoped that the Uchiha was right this time.

“Saku!” Deidara yelped on instinct as the fog started to clear and he spotted the pink hair peeking. He jumped down a few feet away. His eyes looked around in search of Sasori. On the left, he noticed wood leftovers of the first puppet with the wiper/ tail part lying lifeless next to it.

White haze fully cleared and now he saw the redhead laying lifeless below Saku’s feet. The woman had something in her hand. It looked like a container with a seal on top.

“Well this was fun!” she giggled and only now made eye contact with him.

“Saku? You actually killed Master Sasori?” Deidara asked in disbelief.

“No, you silly! Wolfy-sama would be upset with me if I would! Although, if I would kill him, we could be a team, wouldn’t that be fun, Deidara-kun?”

“Sure…” he hesitated and then his mind thought over the words she said. “Wait, what? You didn’t kill him, uhn?”

Saku leaned close to the redhead's body and placed the strange object in a cavity on its chest. It fit perfectly. Sasori instantly raised from the ground blades coming from his back. Plain eyes staring at Saku flamed with true emotion.

“Yooouuuuu!!!” he roared.

“I win, Sasori-kun!!” the woman smirked completely impervious to the daggers in his eyes. Deidara also snickered relieved that both are alive and mostly well.

“I am not giving any of my poison to you, brat!”

“Oh? But you already have,” Saku’s eyes shimmered with mischief. Now Deidara understood why this fight happened. Of course, he wasn’t sure what use Saku would have of the poison, but it had to be worth the risk of becoming a puppet.

“What are you talking about?” Sasori gritted over the clenched teeth of his pupped. Instead of saying anything, Saku hovered a hand over her other arm and dark droplets of the poison were extracted from under her skin.

“You see, I isolated the poison within my body preventing it from taking any effect on me and effectively storing it for later. Thanks!” she waved at them both before leaving.

“HA! I like her. Master Sasori, she kicked your ass, uhn!” Deidara laughed. There were many secrets behind that deceptively fragile stature of Saku. Sasori said nothing and left fuming with anger. Probably to make another puppet, Deidara guessed. Something that could withstand the inhuman strength of the mysterious woman.

Meanwhile, no one noticed a lone figure remaining on the same balcony. After a moment it also disappeared leaving no trace behind.

━━━━━━━━━━

There was a reason why Nagoto kept himself hidden in the shadows of the organization. None of the Akatsuki ever saw his real face or body. Despite the power of Rinnegan, he was the weak link between all the Paths of Pain. 

So having Saku Haruno in on his true identity and secret was a major risk. But risk he was willing to take if it meant that he would have more time to bring his plans to fruition. 

As he contemplated her, the pink-haired woman entered his room led by two of his paths. Unfortunately, Konan was out on a mission. Nagato did not let her go out of Amegakure often, but it was inevitable on occasions.

“Wolfy-sama!” her chirpy voice echoed over the empty room. Nagato observed her for a while now and noticed that only with him the woman would be such a ray of sunshine. He didn’t ask why, assuming it was because he was the Leader and she wanted to be in his good graces.

Yet, that was contradicted by the recent meeting of theirs, when she was more than upset over something. So maybe, her behavior was not only an act, he had to wonder. Nagato motioned for Saku to come closer.

“How are your hands, Wolfy-kun? Have you been _practicing_ touching _things_?” she asked as her hands started to glow familiar green. Saku did not wait for an answer as she started her diagnostics.

“Yes. I have full control and feeling,” Nagato recalled his most recent evenings with Konan. Holding her hand felt reminiscent of the better days when the three of them were together… He almost forgot how soft and warm a touch could be. But Konan had reminded him of that. She grounded him. Touching her Nagato felt mortal again… No, he felt alive again.

“I see no recurring damage! Your body is adjusting nicely. Would you like to try your legs today?” there, yet again Saku’s voice had changed. On occasion, her demeanor would shift into this serious and commanding tone.

Konan once explained to him that this is how medics in their hospital speak too. Yet, he had no intel on Saku ever being a medic back in Konoha. From what he uncovered so far, Saku hadn’t lied about the events causing her defection. But he still had unanswered questions.

“Yes. Proceed,” Nagato gave his permission concealing his excitement and anxiety. Would he really be able to… walk again? Stand on his own? That sounded like a far fetched dream.

“Hmmm. The only issue I see are those rods… Can you make them smaller, Wolfy-kun?”

“I have not tried,” he hummed and closed his eyes to concentrate on the damned things that impaled his body. A while back Saku already played around with his internal organs to shift them away from the rods allowing his body to heal and actually do it’s functions needing far less help from the machine.

It took him a while, but the rods did decrease in size. Still poking from his back now the size of his palm. That was as far as he could manipulate them.

“That will have to do,” Saku muttered inspecting his chest again with glowing hands.

Then she proceeded to ask his Paths for help. Two cold bodies grabbed him by the shoulders while Saku herself unhooked him from the machine. Another moment and he was free. Nagato was placed down on a stool, while Saku kneeled before him and started to heal his legs.

The man wasn’t bothered by his naked state in front of the woman. He only watched her with a calculated gaze. She didn’t look bothered either.

“Alright, looks like there is no irreversible damage but it will take a while before you can run around causing mass destruction,” she smirked at him from down below.

“How long?”

“Well, it depends, how well you will follow my instructions!” she gave her fake smile that Nagato has been noticing since day one. It was clearly not genuine. More like a threat, that he had no choice but to follow her instructions. It was actually amusing to see how fearlessly Saku dared to command him.

“Every day either your Paths or _Konan_ will have to massage your legs to increase the blood circulation, like this,” she said while her hands no longer glowing grasped his muscles. From calf to the thigh.

Just like the last time with his hands, Nagato enjoyed the sensation of a simple skin on skin contact. The tingling was something he didn’t know he missed. There was also a new feeling he started experiencing as the woman continued with the massage on his other thigh. 

His eyes darted below in mild surprise.

“Ooohhh… Wolfy-kun! You flatter me,” the woman giggled as her eyes also glanced at the same spot. Nagato was not sure why his body would react… that way. He was also unsure if he wanted to know. So the man decided to change the topic.

“Saku, why did you deceive your former comrades?” Nagato’s keen eyes noticed how her chakra stiffened from the calm state it was in before. The woman’s hands also faltered for a second. She didn’t look him in the eyes focusing on the job at hand instead.

“I… did not want to be perceived as weak…” she started slowly still avoiding eye contact. “Have you ever had anyone look at you with pity?... Have you ever felt shame?”

“A long time ago,” he decided to answer honestly as he recalled the time of war and the pathetic state the three of them were. Nagato carefully watched as the woman's hands inched higher in almost automatic motion. It was clear that she was not about to elaborate more. He was left wondering what kind of shame Saku had to go to such lengths of hiding it.

To his surprise, the woman leaned in to his crotch area. It was unexpected, but he didn’t stop her, interested to see what exactly she was up to. There were countless moments where she could have tried to kill him already, so Nagato was not particularly concerned. More curious.

Her next actions were not unpleasant, but also something he would have never imagined before. The woman's warm breath fanned over his skin as she stuck her tongue and gave a lick on his stiff organ.

“What are you doing?” Nagato asked, narrowing his eyes.

“This is part of the _massage_ ,” she pulled back slightly to answer and he started to doubt if that was the truth. Mostly because the woman's chakra still looked stiff and paralyzed and there was no usual genuine cheerfulness in her tone.

As he didn’t ask anything else or order Saku to stop, she continued doing the odd procedure on his body. Nagato could see and feel the skillfulness behind her actions. Why would Saku take his organ into her mouth, Nagato could not say, but the feeling of it was not unwelcome.

Actually, the further she went, the more she moved her head, the more she used her tongue, the more he felt blood rush around his body. So it really seemed like a very effective technique. Nagato approved and proceeded to watch her carefully.

What he did not expect and was left surprised by, was the sudden release and his own increased breathing.

“What… did you do?” he rasped feeling blood rush again. Saku pulled away, licking her lips.

“Oh, just what I do best,” her eyes crinkled into that annoying fake smile and he glared at the woman with suspicion. “This last part of the… massage, I believe Konan would have the most skills to do, so please do instruct her.”

“You better not be deceiving me, Saku,” he said but took note of the instructions.

“Oh! I would never! I believe you should have already noticed that I _am_ good at this. I already can tell that your circulation is highly improved. Are you not pleased with my _work_ , Leader-sama?”

“You are dismissed for now,” he ordered without answering. Was it really pleasure that he just felt? The concept was odd and foreign to the man. And Saku’s detached behavior did not make it easy for him to understand everything that just happened. He will have to ask Konan to explain this concept. His dearest friend was far more knowledgeable in healing arts even if she didn’t have the skills to apply the techniques.

Saku left Nagato alone with his thoughts.

━━━━━━━━━━


	52. Kunai & Shuriken

As Sakura walked down the corridor from the training grounds, she slowly plucked the senbon that were still stuck in her body. The needles fell to the ground with a metal clang. It was like she was leaving a trail.

In all honesty, the woman was impressed and concerned. Sasori’s poison, even isolated within her system, still slowly tried to affect her. She felt mild dizziness and sluggishness in her limbs.

“Just fuckin perfect,” she muttered getting closer to her labs. She had to move quickly and get rid of the poison before it actually did any harm.

Her hands shook as she reached for glass tubes. With a wince, Sakura started the extraction. The pain was a bitch but nothing she couldn’t handle. So she ignored and filled yet another container with murky dark purple poison. She will have to make an antidote later on.

In total, she got eleven tubes! That was much more than she hoped. At least some consolation for being a pin cushion for a while. Sakura exhaled with relief and started circling the chakra within her body to flush any possible leftover traces of the poison.

“Shit…” she whispered, spotting a micro collection of the poison on her lower back. Quickly it was expelled out of her without much concern of preserving the bit. Yet, it was not fast enough. Sakura felt dizzy, her limbs started to go numb.

She lost her balance and crumbled to the floor with frustration. Well, it will take her some time to heal up, but it wasn’t that bad she considered preparing herself for the contact with the cold cement.

━━━━━━━━━━

Hidan was struggling to keep his mouth shut as he passed Saku in the corridor. She just had to look so stern and confident… and oh, was that blood that he smelled of her? She was like a dark temptation bending his will with ease. And yet, the man’s morals stayed strong and he ignored her.

It might be stupid, but with life so fleeting and surrounded by death, Hidan felt strongly about doing what the fuck he wanted when the fuck he wanted it. Saku’s attitude was completely opposite as she apparently didn’t care about her own will. It angered the man beyond reason.

He just couldn’t understand how such a strong and lethal woman allowed to be used by others against her feelings. Hidan wanted to shake her and force his words into her pink head of hair. And then kiss her… and do all kinds of perverted things she would want to indulge with him.

“What did you do?” Kakuzu growled as they turned a corner.

“The fuck you talking about?” Hidan snapped at his partner. The damn green eyes reminded him of Saku making every day even more unbearable.

“Saku. You _upset_ her,” damn old man was perceptive.

“Why is it me?” Hidan flailed his hands, annoyed that he was right away suspected as the one behind the distance that was evident between the pair. “She’s fucked up! I just don’t get it…”

“Aren’t we all?” Kakuzu commented. It was true on many levels, considering who they were and what they do for a living.

“Not at that level,” Hidan crossed his arms, sighing with exasperation.

“Fix it,” his partner hissed. He could only stare surprised at such interest.

“Why the fuck do you care?”

“You broke it, you fix it. She is a valuable asset.”

“Riiight. Kakuzu, my man, are you two really not related?”

Then Hidan dodged a stream of wires that targeted his vital points. Of course, that wouldn’t do much, but it would hurt. And despite how it looked, Hidan wasn’t a fan of pain. He dealt with it because he had to.

Ten minutes later, the silver-haired man cursed under his breath as his legs took him where he heard the noise of a fight. Where _she_ was. Maybe it was Kakuzu’s bold push, or maybe he couldn’t resist the temptation anymore.

Hidan stood in the shadows on the balcony ignored by two other men that watched the fight unfold below. He watched with curiosity as the woman skillfully dodged and smashed at Sasori’s puppet.

Her elegance and grace were breathtaking. She twirled in the air with dangerous poison surrounding her on sharp blades. Ah, he imagined how it would feel to go against her in a real fight. The man had no illusions about winning against Saku. No, with her blood technique he would be done for unless she decided to take it easy on him.

Hidan smirked against his will as he continued to spectate the dance between two masters of their craft. And just like that, Saku prevailed. He was not surprised, yet joy managed to claw at his heart.

Shortly, Sasori’s voice echoed with rage as he stood on his feet again. Hidan suppressed a chuckle. Ha, another man was broken by Saku Haruo. Then he frowned when his thoughts returned to the duality of her persona. 

Hidan’s eyes narrowed as he noticed the micro change in Saku’s stride. Her step didn’t falter, but there was something tense about it. He hummed lost in thought and then disappeared from the balcony.

First, he checked her apartment. It was empty. The man almost facepalmed himself as the realization hit him.

“Of course, she is in the fuckin’ labs,” he cursed making his way underground.

This time, he made it in time and grabbed the woman before she hit the floor. Panic flushed over Hidan as he looked for any visible injuries. There was no blood he could see.

“Fuck, bitch, why do you do this to me?” he exhaled deeply and turned her in his embrace so he could look into her emerald eyes. Ah, they were open and staring at him with flaming fury behind the green.

“Oh, you’re awake this time? Can you hear me?” he asked urgently, Saku blinked. The tension was gone from his muscles and the man sat on the floor still holding her tightly in his arms.

“Should I bring help?”

Two blinks.

“Is that a no?”

One blink.

“Alright, shiiiit. Why do you do this, Saku?” he sighed letting out the breath he was holding in. Hey, maybe this was actually a good thing? He could talk without being interrupted and she had no choice, but to listen.

“So, I came to… fuck… well, I wanted to apologize for the last time… I lost it on you,” he said at first, looking straight at the wall, but then dared to glance down at Saku’s face. She stared at him unblinking. 

“It’s not your fault, whatever the fuck happened to make you the way you are. And yeah, we all are messed up. I am no different. It just… it just really pisses me off to see how a strong kunoichi like you play pretends to be weak and submissive.”

“I see _you_ , Saku, for fucks sake! You are a ruthless goddess of death and everyone should bow before you,” Hidan spoke with passion evident in his voice. It was easy to talk when he was not interrupted or threatened with sure death. If anyone could kill him, it most definitely was the gorgeous woman now cradled in his lap.

“Not the other fuckin’ way around! I keep thinking, why would you do those things, when you clearly don’t want to. Do you… do you want to hurt yourself?” he glanced down waiting for a response. Her stare was persistent, but not as raging as before. Hidan did not avert his eyes, making a point that she had to answer. Although, her not answering was saying enough.

One blink.

He knew it! He fuckin’ knew it! She was just like him. Thriving in pain and suffering. Embracing the self-destruction with the mind going so close to madness that it almost left no way to return.

“Saku… if you ever want to hurt, you should hurt me instead. I know a thing or two about pain. I can take it away from you,” he talked carefully looking into the distance. A woman like her shouldn’t hurt or be hurt. Ever. And if the pain was what she wanted, that he could take. 

“...idiot...” a weak voice reached his ears. Hidan’s head snapped right away at her uncovered lips that stretched into a small smirk.

“Fuck you,” he answered teasing and all was well with the world. He wanted to think that, but looking into her mesmerizing eyes, the man could see the cold was still there. The pain and the hurt. The sadness he wanted desperately to take away.

After a couple of minutes of silence, she started to stir in his hold. Far too soon for his liking, but Hidan had standards. He would never stoop so low as to take advantage of a girl in such a predicament. Unless that is what she asked. In that case, he would make her twisted fantasies come true.

When resistance could not be ignored anymore, he helped Saku to stand up. She was breathing heavily but didn’t push him away just yet.

“Are you my shrink now?” she huffed out and Hidan rolled his eyes.

“Shut it, pinky, I am just here to preach the truth,” he shrugged, pulling away, and instantly his hands missed the warmth he just held.

“Pinky-sama for you, Hidan. Goddess, huh?” he silently cursed regretting his outburst. Ah, there was even a light blush coloring his cheeks. But deciding to fuck the weird feeling, he embraced the words he said.

“Jashin, forgive me for my deviance in worshiping a second God,” he muttered. “Well if I will be punished it is worth it for you, Pinky-sama,” he let a sly smile on his face. The atmosphere between them was once again light and vibrant, despite the hidden feelings both of them were aware of. It just felt nice to get rid of the tension.

At that moment two paths entered the lab to fetch Saku away. Hidan frowned, crossing his arms. He had a bad feeling. Yes, there was progress, but Saku’s eyes still unsettled him. He could only hope that their leader would not take advantage of her again.

━━━━━━━━━━

Konan had a bad feeling. She hurried home to Ame after her mission. It took the woman two days to return from the far lands of Lightning. She hurried straight to the tower and then to Nagato’s room.

To her horror, as she entered, her eyes fell on the empty machine.

“Na..Nagato?” she whispered in a broken voice.

“Welcome back, Konan,” a familiar voice made her snap to its direction. Nagato was sitting by a table! He was… reading a book?

“Nagato?”

“Yes?”

“You… you are okay?”

“Yes.”

“But… the machine? You don’t need it?” she was baffled. Her mind quickly flashed an image of pink and then it clicked.

“Yes, I feel just fine without it. I still cannot walk on my own due to my atrophied muscles, but Saku assured me that it would be fixed in less than a year.”

“Did she now?” Konan frowned, stepping closer to Nagato. He looked better. She was glad, but honestly doubted the woman’s so-called _healing techniques_. Then her eyes fell on the book in his hands. “What are you reading?”

“Did you know that Jiraya is a writer now?”

“Oh Kami, why would you read his books?”

“I did quite a lot of reading these days while you were away. Initially, I planned to present my questions to you, Konan.”

“What questions?”

“Since I regained feeling in my hands and legs there were experiences which confused me.”

“Ah-huh,” Konan blinked very vividly recalling those experiences they shared together. OH, she felt a lot of new feelings too that day.

“So I decided to read up and eventually my research took me to Jiraya’s books. I think I grasped the concept behind what was called ‘kunai & shuriken’. I must apologize to you for my previous actions. I was not aware that it is considered improper,” he said with genuine concern. 

_Oh, kami. Kunai & shuriken. Nagato read about sex._ Konan connected the dots in her mind. She was glad that maybe now Nagato would not fall prey to Saku’s flirtations, but on the other hand… does it mean that… their sessions of exploration will stop as well…

“Yet,” Konan perked up looking into his eyes with a glimmer of hope.”Part of my healing does require rather… indignant actions… and you, Konan, are the only one I could ask to do it. Will you help me?”

“Yes,” she answered without hesitation kneeling next to him and placing her head on his lap. “I will do anything for you, Nagato.”

“Very well,” Nagato nodded, his hand lightly brushed over her hair. Ah, the sensation was something new for both of them. Not only that, but Konan felt something else. SOmething twitch under her cheek.

“Nagato?”

“My apologies. It seems that you have a strong effect on my body. I would like to have more control over when it is provoked...” he said pulling his hand away. Konan’s eyes were wide as she looked up at him.

“No… it’s fine. Really,” she said and smiled lightly. It was a compliment the woman could not refuse. Even if the man himself did not understand, his body approved of her and that was enough for now.

━━━━━━━━━━


	53. Flames of Passion

Sakura actively ignored the fact that she was effectively healing Nagato instead of looking for a way to kill him. The longer he observes, the easier it will be for him to notice the difference between her healing chakra and chakra used for blood jutsu. 

What could go wrong if the man starts walking again, really? At least he will get some action from Konan before his death. Worst case scenario, she didn't really _have to_ do anything. Even without her, Naruto would probably do just fine ending Akatsuki. That thought just encouraged her to continue doing the fuck she wanted.

Mind eased Sakura took out her secret storage scroll and unsealed the vials that were inside. She looked closely at them. Perfect specimens for her revenge and any other troubles that would dare stand in her way.

With grace and care, she marked the vials. ‘H’. ‘R’. ‘O’. ‘Y’. She had only four now, but that was enough. Then quickly sealed everything away. The scroll disappeared in her mouth just in time before the door of her lab opened. 

“Hidan,” she nodded at the silver-haired man, not bothering to berate him about such rude intrusion.

“Oy, Pinky, I got you something!”

Sakura noticed the bag he had and raised one eyebrow in question. Past couple of weeks the man would find the most ridiculous reasons to see her. Yet he still had to make a move on her and that really confused Sakura. Why would he come to her and then do nothing? She was positive he flirted too, but that was about it.

Hidan placed the bag with a thud on her table. She sighed and carefully opened it. Inside was a human head. … Sakura paused, looked at the head, at Hidan, and back at the head. With mild amusement, she grasped onto brown hair stained with blood and raised the thing to inspect closely.

“You know, Hidan, girls usually like flowers,” she smirked.

“Pffft. Oh please, Lord Jashin assured me that you will love it! This fuckin’ piece of shit had a very interesting technique he used during our fight.”

“Oh? What was it?” now that was a bit more intriguing. Carefully, Sakura started to prod the dead guy’s head with her chakra trying to find anything unusual about it.

“I have no fuckin idea!” the man smiled at her and Sakura almost wanted to smack his stupid yet deliciously firm ass. “BUT it looked like he could bend and manipulate Kakuzu’s metal wire!”

“Ooooohhh,” Sakura glanced again at the head. Well, this could be useful. It has been a while since she stole a technique from someone. She then placed the head in a jar with preservative liquid and left it closed on her table. Looking back at Hidan she wondered why was this gesture done by him. What motive could the man have?

 _It’s Hidan, Sakura, he’s just like a happy go lucky puppy_ she smirked under her mask imagining very clearly him as a dog. Ah, that was cute. After another sigh, Sakura stepped closer and hugged Hidan wrapping her hands under his cloak.

“Thank you, _Hidan_ , that was very thoughtful of you,” she chirped happily into his chest feeling him stiffen for a second before the man started laughing.

“Yeah, that was no big deal. But I do have something big, that you would also like,” ah she could almost feel his sly smile. Sakura giggled and pulled away with arms crossed on her own chest, definitely not to accentuate her breasts. Definitely not.

“Maaa, Hidan, is that your ego you’re talking about?”

“Call it any way you like, bitch.”

“Dickhead,” she scoffed playfully.

“Yea, you got it.”

Sakura blinked and laughed. It was supposed to be an insult… well, she walked into that one herself, so no offense taken at the innuendo. She exhaled brushing off the whole conversation, while the man was still staring at her. Sakura just turned back to her table and continued writing her notes.

“What is that?” she heard Hidan picking up one of her jars with leeches.

“Leeches. Don’t touch it.”

“What is this?” he yet again grabbed another of her test specimens kept in a vial.

“Put it back.”

“Boo, Saku,” she noticed an adorable pout grace Hidan’s face as he didn’t listen and went over her other specimens.

“I said. Don’t. Touch. It,” she finally lost her patience grabbing his wrist before Hidan broke something.

“Oh, I fuckin’ love it when you’re feisty!” the man cackled. Sakura retracted her hand as if burnt by the contact. The clever zombie had this planned all along! She honestly, couldn’t even be mad at him.

“Die in a fire,” she mumbled, going back to her work.

“Any day in the flames of passion with you.”

━━━━━━━━━━

“Enter!” Pain’s path ordered Saku whom he summoned. On the table before him was an opened scroll with an interesting letter. His undead eyes looked thoughtfully at the writing once more.

“Wolfy-sama! How may I worship you today?” the woman chirped.

“I need information.”

“Oh? Weeeell, it depends if you want Konan to feel good or not. If so, then you could take your hand and...”

“Not. That.“ Pain sighed with exasperation, mostly because now he _was_ curious what exactly Saku wanted to suggest. But work always came first. He turned his eyes straight to the woman standing before him. “Shimura Danzo. What do you know about him?”

The mood shift was instantaneous. The woman's eyes went cold, her expression serious.

“No, FUCKIN way!”

Pain tilted his head in a questioning manner as Saku crossed her arms refusing to even entertain the topic. But his gaze was stern and unwavering.

“NO! No no no! I know what you’re thinking, Pain! And it’s not worth it!”

“Oh? _You_ know what I am thinking? Do tell,” he said coldly, while inside his head, Pain wondered why did a mention of Danzo result in such a reaction from a rather slaughter loving kunoichi like Saku.

“I bet Danzo approached you _or_ you approached him to work together!” Pain didn’t react, but he was amazed at the accuracy in the woman's words. “His vial tongue might have promised you a lot, but he is a piece of shit stuck on your foot! And his words rarely make sense if you have even a single brain cell. Hell, it is more likely that he brainwashed you!”

“I am God. I cannot be influenced by people,” he spat in response, but Saku was not phased. On the contrary, she scoffed at him! SCOFFED! At HIM!

“Really? Pffft. You wanna tell me that even a super-duper powerful sharingan could not plant ideas or bullshit like that into your head?”

“Danzo is not an Uchiha.”

“HA! You don’t have to be an Uchiha to have sharingan,” she quirked her eyes pointedly. Pain paused thinking over her words carefully. Did she really just imply that Danzo has sharingan?

“Tell me what you know about Shimura Danzo. Now,” he ordered letting out the full extent of his commanding aura at the woman. It looked like she really wanted to say something else, but eventually, she sighed letting her hands down. Saku was in a report mood now.

“He is a power-hungry asshole. He ran from Konoha because his experiments on children & orphans came to light. Plus, he stole Uchiha's eyes after the massacre. SO yeah, he has plenty of Sharingan eyes stashed away somewhere and planted in himself. If I were you, I would carefully check your brain for any traces of genjutsu or shit like that,” her voice softened in the end there as if her anger evaporated, but Pain was feeling flames of fury within himself now.

“Experiments?”

“Oh yeah, he would force children to battle each other to death. The winner would be marked with a slave seal and then serve him personally. Plus all kinds of body experiments too.”

Her words were… well, disgusting. Yes, Nagato had no warm feelings towards Konoha, but the image of children forced into situations like that resonated with the man on the deepest levels. There was also no reason for Saku to lie and her words could and will be checked with the spies he has. 

“I see. But, why do _you_ despise Danzo?” yes, Pain didn’t quite believe that it was all. For as long as he knew Saku, the woman showed no regret or guilt or any feelings to any target he would set before her. There had to be more for her to feel so strongly.

“...He… used me as bait… because I was not worth kidnapping…” the woman murmured with her arms crossed again. Her green orbs averted somewhere to the floor. Pain blinked. She was upset because Danzo didn’t... kidnap her? That actually sounded like something Saku would think so he believed her word. For now. 

“Alright. I have another mission for you.”

Business continued as usual while Pain explained what he desired for the woman to do. Honestly, at least she always completed her tasks without question or issues. Her contribution to Akatsuki was proving to be fruitful every day.

“And finally, … what were you saying I should do with my hand?” Pain casually asked, his eyes already looking over papers on his desk. Yes, he was just curious. Not really interested…

“Well, women have this thing called clitoris and G-spot,” she began. Pain would have blushed if his Paths body could. Unfortunately, that was only the start to the very detailed explanation with a precise action plan, tips, and warnings.

Saku left his office an hour later. Nagato’s mind was railing from the amount of information he received. Eventually, he did compose himself again and turned to his mind-space summoning Deva path to his quarters. For his main path, he ordered to fetch Konan.

Until the woman arrives, Nagato decided to check one thing… There was no chance Danzo could have affected his mind and yet, the paranoid part of his brain urged to check. Just in case. Just to prove Saku wrong.

━━━━━━━━━━

It has been two miserable months and one week! Orochimaru was livid with himself. How could a shinobi of his standing crave and lust and be weak to some mere mortal pink-haired girl. Ah, he wanted to snap her little neck and squeezed the life out of her as he pressed her body to his chest and kissed… He shook his head violently focusing on the anger again before his thoughts yet again betrayed him.

Sasuke was panting heavily across him as the boy tried his best to avoid the enraged sannin's attacks. If not for sharingan, Sasuke was sure he would have been a dead man by now. Even with Uchiha's genes, he was having a hard time keeping up.

“Again, you patheeeeeetic, brat,” Orochimaru hissed, snapping his hand where a kunai instantly appeared and flew in the boy’s direction.

Kabuto watched the fight from the sidelines with an untamed smile. He definitely enjoyed seeing young Uchiha be beaten into the ground. Again. And again. And again. Ah, life was great, he mused not too concerned about his master's displeasure at the moment.

Orochimaru was about to impale Sasuke, who was too slow to dodge by their tenth hour of training when the man stopped mid-step inhaling deeply. His head snapped to the side and he inhaled again.

She. Is. Here.

He realized as his brain recognized the unforgettable scent and chakra signature that just entered his domain. Finally, he thought with a manic smile dropping the kunai from his hand, stepping over Sasuke, and walking swiftly towards her.

He didn’t listen to what Kabuto or Sasuke were saying behind him. No, Orochimaru had only one thing on his mind. Saku. He will have to punish the kunoichi for neglecting him for so long. He planned on tying her up and teasing her helplessly until she would beg for him.

That is what he naively considered until the moment his eyes focused on the figure leaning by the wall in one of the corridors. Orochimaru stopped, eyes wide, nostrils flaring. She was intoxicating.

“Well hello there, stranger,” she laughed with her melodic voice filling the space between them. His heart raced. She was the first to move and quickly, the distance between them was gone. With an agile jump, she leaped to his arms. Instinctively he caught the woman even more shell shocked if that was even possible.

Her legs hooked around his back and her breasts were pressed to his chest. Orochimaru’s breath hitched.

“Caught you,” she whispered cheerfully into his ear. That was enough to wake the man from the fever dream he was in. Orochimaru swiftly pressed Saku’s back to the wall, putting his body weight on her. Her labored breathing was like music to his ears.

Without another minute to lose, he leaned in to kiss her neck. Thankfully, Saku didn’t bother showing up with a mask. Her supple skin was like the ripest fruit he ever tasted. Ah, so sweet and soft. 

Saku let out a moan from his ministrations. Orochimaru couldn’t contain the grin that spread onto his face from the lustful sound of her voice. Almost on instinct, his hips were grinding between her legs. The need in his pants was getting painfully hard with every little breath and gasp the woman in his hands let out.

“Orochimaru, is our training o…” he didn’t even glance at Sasuke who showed up at the end of the corridor.

“Ooohh… hello there… aaah… SaSUke...kun,” she winced out between her moans. Orochimaru bit her neck utterly displeased with how passionately Saku said the boy's name. No, she will only say _his_ name like this. The woman moaned louder, not at all upset with his roughness.

“Ohhh, Orochi-kun, I think he wants to watch,” she giggled, and only now the snake turned his head away to look at Uchiha. His hands tightly wrapped around the woman as if she would disappear when his eyes looked away.

The boy had his sharingan on as if looking for a fault in the genjutsu. This had to be genjutsu… no woman would… He stared paralyzed at the pair without saying a word. Not really hearing them either. Poor Sasuke couldn’t even blink.

Orochimaru finally let go of his little treasure, settling her on the ground, so that Saku would be eye to eye with Sasuke. He stood behind the woman, his hands creeping from behind. Slowly he grasped onto her breasts over the clothing. Pinching the nipples to force a reaction from the girl.

Saku quivered under his touch, while Sasuke continued to stare with mouth agape. Orochimaru smiled widely as his tongue darted out and licked the woman's neck. Another heavy moan filled the air. She was practically melting in his arms. Her thighs rubbing together with need. 

“Look clossssely, Sasssssuke, if you ever plan on ressssstoring your clan,” he hissed. Orochimaru was partially excited about showing off his dominance, but on the other hand, he didn’t want Sasuke to _actually_ see even a glimpse of his Saku’s body.

“Ohhh… Orochi...maru…” she dropped her head back giving herself up completely. Her voice was almost too much to handle. Sannin smirked as he continued to kiss Saku’s neck, while also keeping eye contact with Sasuke.

One of Orochimaru’s hands slithered down the woman’s body towards her nether region. He could smell her arousal already and Kami help him to not rip Saku to shreds right here and now. She moaned out loud when his hand found its way under her skirt. Sasuke’s eyes got even wider if that was possible.

━━━━━━━━━━


	54. Experimentation III

_Twelve hours earlier._

“You are late!” Sasori hissed in her direction, but Sakura was not phased at all. She waved him off and turned to Deidara instead.

“Deidara-kun! How have you been?”

“Saku-chan,” the blond nodded with acknowledgment. “You look well,” snickered, but his words still sounded good-hearted even if laced with sarcasm. Sakura wasn’t sure if the boy was aware of her active transformation technique. 

The way his hidden eye bore into her face, Sakura was inclined to believe that Deidara had indeed seen through it. Under the jutsu, she did look terrible after yet another week of nonstop work.

“Move it!” Sasori growled as he turned away to leave first. She snickered and hooked her arm around Deidara’s.

“Maaan, our little sunshine is gloomy today!” she pretended to whisper to the blond's ear.

“Yeah, ever since you kicked the ever-living shit out of master Sasori.”

“So, Deidara-kun, what’s with this mission? Are we really not supposed to kill _anyone_?” there was clear disbelief and disappointment in her tone.

“Uhn. We can basically leave it up to master Sasori. We just need to not attract attention,” the blond mirrored her disappointment. She sighed heavily.

In short two hours of travel, the three of them made it across the border into the Land of Wind. Their goal was one of Suna’s outposts. A delicate work was needed here. 

“Deidara, keep watch from the sky for anyone approaching the building,” Sasori as the self-appointed leader of their group ordered the blond who looked like he was completely used to this by now. 

“Uhn.”

Sakura was looking right at the outpost in the distance. The sun had already set and the cold of the desert around them caused shivers to go down her spine. There was only moonlight luminance casting long shadows. They already spend almost four hours observing their target.

“Yooou,” she turned to the snarl that the puppeteer sent her way. With the eye wrinkled smile, Sakura faced the bitter man.

“Yeeees, Sasori-kun?” she said sweetly.

“You are here to incapacitate each and every shinobi in that outpost. Without leaving a trace. Without harming them. Without them noticing or resisting any jutsu you plan on using,” he explained what she already got to understand herself a while back in Pain’s office. Their target had to be reached without them being noticed. Without leaving a trace.

“No problem,” Sakura showed enthusiastic thumbs up.

Sasori grumbled something inaudible, but it was amusing to hear a stern voice from the young redhead puppet. He obviously hasn’t finished the new puppet for an outer shell just yet. 

“Let’s go, we are already late,” he muttered this time louder and Sakura waved to the blond before following Sasori into the desert. She almost expected to walk straight up to the outpost, but shortly she was led into a cave cleverly masked by the sand dunes. 

“Underground tunnels, huh? Convenient,” she looked around taking in the man-made cavern. There was no light or wind down here, but it didn’t look like either of them needed it. Sasori probably knew it by heart, being from Suna. While Sakura reverted to circling chakra in her eyes to enhance her eyesight.

Ten minutes of walking in the dark and silence would be uncomfortable if either of them cared about such things. Sakura was not bothered. Her mind was preoccupied with all the things she planned to do back home. _Home_. Amegakure became that place without her even realizing it.

Sakura wanted to go out drinking again. She wanted to continue with her research. Hell, she even started to visit the hospital on rare occasions to give some casual pointers to the staff, who by now already cherished every word said by her. Sakura felt like she mattered. Like she was valued.

There was only one thing missing in Ame. And that was a warm body in her bed. She missed that feeling of being engulfed by invisible flames.

“Sasori-kun, does your puppet body feel the warmth?” she asked curiously. She could hardly wrap her head around his choice of becoming a puppet. Yes, that may make him immortal, but at what cost? At least, Orochimaru gained immortality keeping all that makes you human. Orochimaru. Involuntarily her thoughts circled back to the snake sannin. She had to admit that there was a surprisingly big part of her that missed the man. Or at least what his presence did to her body…

“No. I do not feel warmth or cold,” reluctantly Sasori answered. She really didn’t expect him to say anything. But she didn’t show her surprise, taking his cooperation as a given.

“Hmm, don’t you miss it? Feeling flames enticed by a touch of another human?” Sakura was pushing her luck now. Maybe the cover of the darkness gave them both courage to speak with one another.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

Sakura stopped dead in her tracks, mouth wide open in shock.

“Don’t tell me that the infamous Sasori of the Red Sand is… a virgin!?!?!” she said with award-worthy theatrics. The man was silent. “Oh boy! YOU ARE! You’re missing a lot, Sasori-kun,” she chirped away and started walking again.

“We are here,” he announced, ignoring her pestering follow-up questions. Wasn’t he curious? Did he like women? Men? Animals? Puppets? Has he tried it with a puppet? Does he even still have the ‘equipment’?

Sakura was very much amused. Despite how lethal each Akatsuki member was, they managed to stay innocent in physical matters. Most of them. Like Nagato. Konan. Now Sasori. She was pretty sure that Deidara (much like his counterpart Naruto) was still a boy with his cherry intact. Itachi also clearly had no capacity or interest in physical pleasure, true to his stoic and cold Uchiha nature.

Hidan was a mystery, while the exceptions in her mind were Kisame and Kakuzu who by their age alone probably had enough action. Plus, they seemed the most mature around. They looked like men. Delicious and powerful like Orochimaru… Sakura shook her head lightly with a heavy sigh.

“Stop stalling. You’re wasting time!” Sasori urged clearly closing in to the end of his patience. 

“Yeah yeah, pipe down, cherry pie,” she snickered. Sakura exhaled once more before settling down on the dusty stone floor. She crossed her legs in a meditative pose and closed her eyes.

“Alright, for _them_ it will look like a long blink. Try not to leave any trace, smell, or chakra behind,” she said, placing her hands in hand seals. Usually, she would not bother with that, but this was not the middle of a battle. 

She could sense 36 human hearts. Around 15 animal-like bird hearts. 56 smaller animals like insects and such. Sakura focused on humans locating their bodies, their blood. First, she paralysed them, then instantly their vision was cut, and then their consciousness. The humans were placed in a coma-like state frozen in place.

“It is done. I will hold it for 15 minutes,” Sasori was already off. At least the man was prompt to act and did not dick around. This actually reminded her of that one mission she had with Shino. Ah working with such people was pleasant.

Sakura didn’t move an inch from her spot, keeping tight control over her chakra and all the blood circling above in the outpost. Like clockwork, in fourteen minutes Sasori was back.

“It is done,” he said dryly. Sakura released her jutsu and felt the bodies move around again. There was no panic, so looks like they didn’t notice just yet.

“Cool. So is he now your slave or something?” she continued to pester the puppet master as they walked back within the tunnel.

“Pet.”

“Huh?”

“He is my pet now.”

“Aww, so cute. You really like that ‘master’ / ‘pet’ thing, huh?” Sasori didn’t bother to answer, his silence being louder than words as much as Sakura was concerned. She did, however, note to ask Deidara if he was one of Sasori's pets too.

An hour later they were already headed back to the border. Mission completed. Pawns set into place. Sakura would have never imagined that Akatsuki had infiltrated Suna this far ahead before capturing Gaara. But here she was, part of it now.

As they moved in the cover of the night sky Sakura also felt hesitation. She debated whether she could take a slip, just like that time with Hidan and Kakuzu. She could just get a substitute back in Ame. But honestly, looking for someone who could replace Orochimaru sounded like a daunting task. A drag, if you may. At least that is what she told herself.

It was an excuse. A white lie to make sense of the actions she had no will to resist taking. Fuck it all to hell! Hidan was right. She should do what the hell she wanted with whoever she wanted to.

“Alright, boys. I’ll bounce now. I have things to take care of for my research. See later!” she waved and disappeared in a shunshin leaving but a swirl of smoke behind.

Sasori grumbled something incoherent but did not look disappointed by the woman's absence. Deidara pouted.

━━━━━━━━━━

What was her name? Where was she? What was she doing?

Sakura didn’t know a single answer to any of these questions. She was lost in the feeling of lust. The flames of need burned her from inside out. The only thing she did know was a cold touch of _his_ fingers on _her_ skin.

It was a feral state of mind that took over allowing her to ignore Sasuke and anyone else who would be watching.

“Ahh! Orochimaru…” she moaned again shamelessly feeling his fingers inch closer towards her underwear hemline, but too slow for her liking. He was provoking her and it felt like the whole world was slipping by.

Her head rested on his chest, with eyes closed she only concentrated on the sensation of his touch. Was the man kissing her? Sakura couldn't tell, as her skin was burning up the whole time. The wait was hell, but it was also bliss.

“My my, Sassssuke… I wasss not awarrrrre that you had attracccction towards your former teammmmmmate,” _he_ said in a mocking but husky tone. She felt his lips turn into a crooked smile just hovering above her shoulder.

“NO! I AM NOT!”

Sakura’s eyes fluttered open, and she smirked making eye contact with the glowing red eyes. Ah, so Sasuke was still standing there. Watching carefully as Orochimaru did whatever he pleased with her body. 

“Don’t lie, Uchiha, your body betrayed you,” she giggled pointing with her eyes down towards his crotch. Yes, there was a visible bulge. What a pervert, she thought. Sasuke stayed silent. His eyes struggled to keep contact very obviously trailing down towards her breasts and below where Orochimaru’s hands were.

Until the sound of a yelp that came from her lips electrified the whole room. She didn’t expect it even though that was what she wanted all along. A long finger finally found its way inside of her and touched her core.

Could sharingan see over her clothing? Probably not. But based on the sounds she was making, the way her eyes rolled back and her knees buckled, it probably was clear enough what just happened.

“More!” she demanded while thrusting her hips on Orochimaru’s hand. She felt that the man was aroused. He has been poking her from behind since the moment they embraced!

“Yesssss, I believe Sassssuke had enough for now,” the sannin hissed between the pecs he was leaving on her neck. Honestly, Sakura couldn’t care less who was watching. She just wanted to feel the blood rush across her body. To be filled again. To be whole. And Orochimaru knew exactly how to please her untamed hunger.

“Kabuto. Take carrrre of Sassssuke,” Orochimaru ordered. Yes, even she noticed another heart beating rapidly in the corner far away. Watching from the shadows.

“Yes, Lord Orochimaru,” the man with glasses answered as he appeared by the Uchiha’s side. Sakura felt both of their gazes linger on her before the two left.

“ _Lord_ Orochimaru, huh? I’m not calling you a master so you know,” Sakura giggled. Weirdly, when they were left alone again, the tension in her back instantly relaxed. She felt much safer now. With the most notorious shinobi across all the nations.

“No matterrrrr. You ssssstill belong to me,” he whispered to her ear nibbling on it slightly.

Oh no, he didn’t! Sakura smiled slightly as she inhaled and pushed away from the sannin with her incredible force. She quickly reversed the metaphorical table and pinned him to the wall instead.

“Oh do not misunderstand, _honey_. I _allow_ you to do as you wish. I do not belong to anyone,” she now whispered it to his ear. Sakura was pressed to him closely and so she felt how his penis twitched with each word. The bastard enjoyed it! She chuckled darkly while her hands kept the fickle man in place.

Carefully her fingers grasped onto Orochimaru’s shoulders. She knew he also intentionally allowed her to act this way. For now. Her eyes glimmered with mischief. This was his first mistake.

“And now… kneel,” she said watching as the snake before her raised his eyebrows in mild confusion. She didn’t bother repeating, with a light chakra grip and some blood jutsu to bend his knees at her will, Sakura forced Orochimaru to his knees. Now looking down at the man she smiled even wider but not as wide as his eyes had gotten.

“Now. You will do exactly as I say and maybe, just maybe, if you’re good enough, I will allow for your release to come,” she said as her hand stroked gently over the snake's dark locks. 

Orochimaru looks like overcame his initial surprise and now his lips tugged a smile. His long tongue darted out and licked over her inner thigh.

“Mmmm, I will devourrrrr you, woman,” he hissed in a strangely sultry manner.

“You better,” Sakura smiled and bit her lip slightly enticed by the idea. The night will be long, she almost shivered from excitement.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sasuke didn’t protest to be dragged away from the scene. He felt like the world around him was in a daze of echoing sounds of female lust. Was that really his former teammate? The one that would beat him up? So vulnerable and exposed in Orochimaru’s hands?

He couldn’t wrap his head around the strange phenomenon. And the worst part is, that his body seemed to be affected by the outrageous display of affection he just witnessed.

“Do not try to understand them, Sasuke-san,” he heard Kabuto’s voice and turned to the man who was walking beside him.

“But why? I don’t understand...”

“How two such powerful people are so vulnerable next to each other?” Kabuto finished his thought. Sasuke gave a half nod. “Yes, this is something they can do, **because** they are so strong.”

“But, Saku is nowhere near Orochimaru’s level?”

“Oh, on the contrary. Haven’t you heard?” Kabuto extended the boy a black bingo book. Sasuke looked at the item with suspicion fully expecting there to be a trick somewhere. It was Kabuto, there was always something behind his actions.

Carefully Sasuke flipped through pages until he faced the picture of the familiar kunoichi. His eyes widened seeing the reward amount, the list of her ‘accomplishments’, and the jarring note ‘flee on sight’.

“What the…”

“Oh yes, your little friend is deliciously deadly,” Kabuto smirked, while his eyes were hidden behind the glimmering glasses. Suddenly they stopped. Looking around, Sasuke found them standing in his room.

“I still don’t understand how she… and Orochimaru could...”

“Oh, very simple,” Kabuto chuckled as he stepped closer to Sasuke. His voice was barely a whisper now. “You cannot be in denial forever, Sasuke-san. You liked what you saw. Tell me, did you imagine being in Lord Orochimaru’s place… or Saku’s place?” with the last part of the question, Kabuto’s hand stroked over his crotch area.

Sasuke jumped back a katana already drawn out. He panted heavily for unknown reasons. That unexpected touch drove the boy over the edge. Yes, the young Uchiha freaked out. He was caught off guard. Kabuto snickered.

“I see. So you want to be the one making Saku moan? What a shame,” Kabuto tsked his tongue and left, while Sasuke clenched his jaw trying to control the bubbling anger. Orochimaru would probably scalp him if he killed Kabuto. He also probably would do even more horrific things if Sasuke even entertained the idea of taking Saku for himself.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura returned to Amegakure almost 36 hours after Sasori & Deidara. She didn’t hurry as she crossed the border and stepped into the dome of rain. The woman looked up to the sky, eyes closed, a smile gracing her mask covered face. She was sooo relaxed. Her mind was still buzzing.

“Now, I can concentrate on work,” Sakura whispered to herself. She lazily walked towards the headquarters not bothered by a single thing. Pain could Shinra Tensei the whole world and she still wouldn’t care.

She literally had no fucks left to give and that thought alone made the woman smile even wider. Sakura could never stop marveling at how skilled Orochimaru was in everything. Even submission. And then retribution… Ah! The memories of the last day flooded her brain threatening to make her knees weak again.

Five minutes later Sakura was back in her lab. Full of invigorated energy and inspiration. Yes, they not only fucked each other's brains out, but they also talked. Sakura didn’t even think to ask Orochimaru before, but now it did make sense. The man did develop a curse mark to control & give chakra to the user. His insight was invaluable!

Without hesitation, she continued to work on her test subject. When she knew what to do it all looked so simple! Sakura isolated the right molecule structure first and encouraged it to multiply resulting in chakra production, then right away activated the opposite molecules to kill the reaction. 

It took her a couple of hours to get the timing right. It appears that killing the reaction took double the time then starting it so depending on how much chakra she wanted, she had to stop it at the right time. Chakra generation seemed to increase exponentially. 

Either way, it was finally a success. Her test subject survived the manipulation.

“Phase one completed!” she said, holding back her excitement only barely. Maybe she should have visited Orochimaru sooner, Sakura considered making some notes on her progress.

Now it was time for phase two. Testing on herself. It was a scary yet thrilling concept. One mistake and she could blow herself to bits. It would be wise to take precautions.

Sakura didn’t hurry as she wrote down mathematical calculations on how many molecules she would have to affect and where and what time. She finally decided to take advantage of her Yin seals. To be safe, she will just funnel all the new chakra into the seals and monitor how it is generated in her own body.

After multiple subjects died on her table, she learned that each person reacts differently. It depended on their age, sex, health, origins. Maybe, for once, her being a female civilian will actually come in handy as another precaution allowing her to kill the reaction of chakra generation with larger leeway for the delay.

Sakura glanced at the leeches. Hell no. She really didn’t want to be sucked dry _that way_. Humming deep in thought, the woman finally stood up and wandered outside.

“Kisame, my boy, where could you be?” she wondered considering if maybe she could ask Pain for help, but she honestly didn’t want to have to explain everything to the man.

She noticed a distant heartbeat in the area of the training grounds. Sakura walked towards it with a gleam in her eyes. Maybe she didn’t need Kisame at all. Maybe, what she needed was…

“Oy! Pinky, miss’ me already?”

...one immortal son of a bitch to spar with without holding back.

“How about a _friendly_ spar, handsome?”

Now Hidan looked at her with eyes narrowed in suspicion. She was never this nice to him. Yet the urge to play along was too strong and the man caved in.

━━━━━━━━━━


	55. Chakra for Days

Hidan’s laughter boomed as the man tried to nick her skin with his huge scythe. Sakura dodged and weaved as if she was facing her shisho again. Not a single hit could be allowed in a fight like this.

“What’s the matter, pinky? I just wanna taste you!” he snickered.

“Keep dreaming until sunbeams of reason find you, dick,” she huffed in response. Sakura could just use her blood jutsu, but it would be too easy. No, she wanted to play. She wanted to use her chakra to the fullest. 

So eventually the woman began her attacks. She started with a thick mist and then made a rain of senbon. Yes, she strategically kept her distance from the menace that he was.

Of course, that was just a scratch for someone like Hidan. Sakura considered that she might benefit from having a bigger weapon for a change… Maybe an ax? That sounds like a lot of fun… Her thoughts were brushed aside, as Hidan found her location and attacked again.

Sakura saw her own reflection in the glimmering metal of the blade that passed her face only millimeters away. She clenched her jaw in annoyance. It was so convenient to have a weapon tied on a string to extend the attack range. She almost fell for it.

It was time to get serious. Sakura took chakra from her reserves without any reservations. She fueled her eyes, feet, and arms to increase the movement speed. Like lightning, she darted away and back towards the man. Chakra enhanced punch made contact with his abdomen sending a deafening sound of cracking bones across the whole arena.

Hidan flew back until he hit the wall making it track. There was blood coming out of his mouth. His stomach looked unnaturally bent.

“She might actually kill you, Hidan. Use your head for once,” Kakuzu said, voice void of any emotions, but Sakura could swear there was a concern for his partner. Honestly, she didn’t even notice the man watching them before now.

“You suck!” Hidan rasped, pulling himself up from the rubble. His legs were shaky as he pointed a finger at her. “Especially you, newbie! But then, you always suck,” there was that cheeky grin again. Even battered and broken, the man still had some guts left.

“Hey! Who are you calling newbie, dickhead?” she crossed her arms insulted. Will he ever let go of the fact that she was the last one to join Akatsuki? Unlikely.

…

“You gorgeous…” suddenly there was a whisper _behind_ her. Hidan actually followed Kakuzu’s advice and used a clone to drag her attention with insults, while the real one approached her from behind. Sakura was so distracted and relaxed, that she didn’t even bother sensing for heartbeats.

The man grabbed her with one hand over the shoulders, the other leaned the blade close to her cheek. Thankfully, her minute of loss ended and Sakura quickly reacted, kicking him away with a heavily enhanced chakra foot.

He slid across the floor clutching his torso. She was so close! Obviously, Sakura aimed for the lower part but barely missed it. A shame.

“Too slow, cupcake,” he started laughing with his head dropped back in a manic fashion. Sakura blinked confused once more. She carefully touched her cheek. There was no blood or nips there. With furrowed eyebrows, she started circulating her chakra instead - looking for damaged skin.

In no time she found it. To her horror, there was a tiny scratch left on her shoulder where Hidan had grabbed her. Eyes wide she watched as he started the ritual. Part of her was curious to see if it will work against her. 

She watched as he brought a bloody kunai to his lips. The sharp tongue darted out and gave it a lick. Instead of laughing even more, Hidan scrunched his face and stared at Sakura.

“Your blood is weird, pinky!” he said in an accusing manner. Sakura crossed her arms. Her body didn’t feel any different even as Hidan’s skin colored in weird markings. His ritual was complete.

“That’s more of a you problem, not a me problem,” she snapped back. Sakura tested her own blood countless times and there was nothing off about it so he had to be delusional. Not really a stretch when talking about Hidan. On the other hand, she had never tried tasting her blood before.

“Oh nooooo, bitch. It is _our_ problem now. Let's savor the utmost of suffering together!” he smiled wildly and swung the same kunai straight to his knee.

The pain was a bitch. She was surprised how Hidan managed it each time. Her eyes watered as Sakura grabbed to her own knee in reflex. Thankfully her chakra already started to mend the new injury.

“Oh, what’s the matter, pinky?” Hidan chirped sweetly as he twisted the blade. Sakura cringed with a clenched jaw.

“I didn't know that Jashin had such kinks for torturing,” Sakura chuckled, ignoring the pain. Her emerald eyes were stern as she gazed at the silver-haired man in front of her. _Come on, show me what you got…_ she taunted him with her eyes.

Men were too easy to be provoked. A single mention of Jashin set Hidan off. He swung his scythe and both of them embraced for the upcoming pain. Sakura gathered her chakra ready to heal any wound he would inflict. 

Unfortunately, the idiot went overboard, as he often did in the heat of a fight. Instead of impaling his own, therefore her, gut, he pushed the blade right into his chest. Clear shot to the heart. 

Sakura instantly started choking on the blood as a lung was punctured on the way too. She fell to her knees gasping for air as the light around her was dimming quickly. Her chakra couldn’t repair the damage fast enough at the same time as keeping other bodily functions going.

“You FUCKING IDIOT!” she heard a distant voice and a sound of footsteps. There was a clank of metal hitting the floor. More footsteps, but her eyes already closed. Shit. Is this how she will die? By the hands of fuckin’ Hidan???

She tried to open her eyes again and this time the world was back in her sights. A grey and wind brushed world. The in-between visible for her soul. _FUCK HIDAN AND HIS FUCKIN RELIGION_ she yelled with frustration looking around.

Just like the last time, her body went to this weird self-preservation method of detaching her soul. It felt like the alive people around her were moving in slow motion. Sakura glanced at Kakuzu who was by her side now. Hidan was halfway there with a worry on his face. 

Sakura was angry. This had to be only a spar, but the imbecile forgot that she could not just shift her organs to avoid his attack like she did when facing Kakuzu. His attacks were a direct hit and she was not immortal. Overflowing with anger, she floated next to Hidan’s slow-moving form.

Her hand moved on its own as she swung a punch. Honestly, she did not expect anything to happen. She was almost sure that her hand would go through his body like it could go through walls in this state. Yet, that did not happen. Her fist made contact with a loud bang.

Hidan flew back from the force of her punch and even Sakura’s soul body was propelled back. Losing her balance she fell to the ground and made contact with her own body effectively returning to her pain-ridden senses.

“Fuckin… Hidan…” she grumbled trying to pull herself back with shaky arms. Instantly there were two strong hands helping her up. She glanced up to meet another masked face next to her. “Thanks, old man.”

“You are immortal?” was the first thing Kakuzu said.

“Oh yeah, I am doing great, thanks for asking. No, I am not fucking immortal,” Sakura answered with mild annoyance. Her chakra was still working to repair all damage, but she could at least stand by herself now.

“Then how…”

“WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT????” Hidan’s yell cut over Kakuzu. They both turned to see the battered man rubbing his side vigorously.

“Payback, you, piece of shit,” she said sweetly.

“HAHAHAH! It’s not fucking funny. Shit, that was a whole new level of pain I have never felt!” the man mused. “But how did you do it? You were there, and I was here?”

“Secret technique,” she may or may not have shown her tongue with that statement as Sakura pulled her mask down. The blood felt really gross around her mouth.

━━━━━━━━━━

Well, this went better than she had expected. Excluding that one moment where she technically died. At least her body did die. Hidan and Kakuzu were a bit concerned but eventually had to admit that she seemed as fine as she usually is. A bit too overprotective, for her taste, but she could not complain too much.

As for Sakura, she happily strolled back to her labs with dangerously depleted chakra reserves and even one Yin seal empty. She couldn’t wait to test out her new technique. Any food, shower or sleep will have to wait. 

Finally, she stood before her desk overlooking the notes and calculations. She decided to start small. From one molecule. Then ten. Then a hundred.

Sakura closed her eyes and concentrated her chakra that concentrated over her empty Yin seal. See isolated the molecules that would produce it. Getting to the core of the cells. There was no better time to start than now. With one last breath, without any words or hand seals, she gave a gentle push to the chemicals in her cell.

They started to collide and create chakra.

Instantly Sakura snapped her eyes open from surprise. The feeling was odd. Like a tingling sensation, but not unpleasant. She quickly closed her eyes again and regained her focus on the cell. Chemicals were producing new chakra rapidly. 

After many tests, Sakura did find that chemicals had a life expectancy. After some amount of chakra is created, the chemicals would wither and die just to be consumed by other things in the body. She had to stop the reaction before the point of no return was reached. After a 24 hour rest period, the chemicals could be engaged again.

━━━━━━━━━━

It took Sakura one hour… ONE HOUR to replenish her whole Yin seal! To say that Sakura was amazed, would be an understatement. She was shocked. Happy. Thrilled. Ecstatic. Her experiment worked! What used to take days and months now only took her an hour!

With a technique like that, she could use any jutsu she wanted replenishing chakra as quickly as it was being used. The only question was, just how much she could make until reaching the line.

After two more hours, she gained a better understanding of how to trigger and disrupt the reactions in her body. To create chakra exactly where she needed it. Her reserves, even small as they were, will never be empty again.

Sakura could not stop laughing as she looked with wide eyes at her own hands. She actually fuckin’ did it! Damn, she had to celebrate. Quickly, Sakura closed her notes and went upstairs.

━━━━━━━━━━

After a shower and a change into fresh clothing, cloaked in Akatsuki black and red she went outside into the rain. In a quick yet civilian-like pace, she found a way towards her favorite bar.

“Welcome, Saku-sama,” the bartender greeted her with the usual utmost respect.

“Give me the good stuff, boy,” she smiled. In the city, Sakura didn’t actually wear her mask now. At first, she was cautious, but shortly the city grew on her. And its people. Sakura wasn’t afraid to show her face to them.

“Here you go, our best cold sake,” the bartender gave her a bottle and a glass. He was used to her drinking amounts by now and didn’t bother pouring a single glass anymore. Sakura left more than enough money and went to the back of this establishment. She liked a small table right by the doors leading to the garden. She loved drinking there and watching the rain.

With a full cup in her hand, the woman leaned against a wooden beam and gazed upon the gloomy sky. The sake felt nice. Cold ones could not hide any imperfections. Only cheap sake was heated. And she liked what was best of course.

Maybe halfway done with the bottle, Sakura noticed an unusual presence approaching her. A tiny smirk was hidden behind her cup as she finished its content. Placing it down on the table, she looked at the man that now sat in front of her.

“Wolfy-sama! What a surprise to see you out here!” she said giddily looking over the dead body with orange hair controlled by Nagato.

“You are alive,” it was not a question, but rather a statement.

“Aww, how sweet of you to care about me so much, Wolfy-kun! I am very well, thank you!” Sakura could rival even Naruto with her sunny smile at the moment. And it was not fake at all. 

“Kakuzu was sure you were dead for a moment.”

“Ahh, the old man needs to get some glasses,” she giggled, not like she could explain about her soul being so determined to preserve her life at any cost. Sakura watched as Pain’s eyes narrowed at her. The ringed eyes were scanning her intently.

“Your chakra. It is full. How did you heal yourself without it?”

“With chakra. I replenished it,” she shrugged nonchalantly.

“I see. So your experiment is complete,” the clever boy figured it out. She was tempted to give him a golden star or something but refrained as they were in public-ish.

“First phase. There are still some… _things_ I have to work out, but it will be good enough until it is perfected,” Sakura explained. Yes, she still needed to find a way to kill a dead man. And a couple of other projects…

“Good. Then you are ready to hunt a beast,” he said with unblinking eyes boring into her green orbs. Sakura paused checking in her head what else the words could mean. No, it could only mean - tailed beasts.

“Eeeeeek!!” yes, Sakura jumped like a squealing teenage girl and pounced on Pain with a shinobi precision hug that he did not try to avoid. “YAY! Thank you, Wolfy-sama! You are the _best_!”

Another acknowledgment. She was now a full-fledged member of Akatsuki. The most feared and strongest S rank missing-nin group. Sakura Haruno was officially _officially_ a force to be reckoned with.

With sparkling eyes, Sakura finally pulled away from Pain, to look at his eyes, still very much straddling him. Although this was a dead body, some instincts were still reflecting as the man hugged her back in this embrace. Actually, his hands still rested on her lower waist.

“You can let go of me now, Wolfy-kun, that’s how hugs work, unless…?” she smirked and curved her eyebrow in a suggestive manner.

“Tomorrow. 11 AM. You will get your mission,” he said only before puffing away. Sakura plumped on the ground and laughed. Pain didn’t show any emotions, so she could only guess if Nagato blushed or not at the moment.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A level up deserves an outfit change!  
> This is what is hiding bellow Sakura's cloak:  
> (Her hair is also getting longer)
> 
>   
>  [Art Reference](https://www.deviantart.com/maffmaffhimi/art/Outfit-Idea-600225965)


	56. Seven Tails

“Why the fuck is the sun shining?”

“Because it is day time, Hidan.”

“No, for Jashin’s sake! It never shines in Ame! I mean, yeah it is still raining, but you can see the sun. That’s just weird.”

“I don’t know, maybe Pain-sama is in a good mood?” Sakura shrugged nonchalantly as she too looked up at the usually gloomy sky to find light blue and the bright sun behind the drizzling rain. The whole city seemed to be engulfed by this uplifting mood.

“He has been showing sun for some time now,” the grumpy voice of Kakuzu joined their little conversation by the entrance to the tower.

“Mhm,” Sakura could barely contain her smile. Yes, Pain or Nagato indeed has been in a brighter mood since she took him out fully from the machine. “Hey, did you notice if Konan-chan was more cheerful too?”

“Yeah, origami bitch almost smiled at me a week ago! I swear!”

“You think it is her doing, Saku?” Kakuzu suspected something, she was sure of it. But he was smart enough not to comment too obviously.

“Oh, who knows!” Sakura giggled. “Come on now! We have to find a good spot in the Land of Wind.”

And so the three of them jumped out of the dry cover of the tower and into the rain. They went across the roofs and then over the water that surrounded the village hidden in the rain. One perk of being Akatsuki, that they did not have to bother going through the main gates.

“Why do we even have to leave now? The exams have not even started yet!”

“Stop complaining, Hidan. There is no telling what could happen. The exams could be canceled or changed. We have to be ready to intercept our target,” Sakura tried to reason and logically explain her superior knowledge.

But she knew exactly what was going to happen in the chunin exams. She was there in her past life, after all.

“Yes, Saku is right. Also, there is a bounty nearby that I want to catch,” Kakuzu added, leaving neither of his companions surprised. This was a rather usual detour when traveling with the old man. Also, Sakura could not help but notice that he started to use her name casually. She hid a small smile behind her mask.

This was a team she could work with. This was a team that respected her. This was a team that cared about her in one way or another. Hidan even apologized for his stunt yesterday. While Kakuzu didn’t comment anything, she noticed a shift in the man's gaze.

“Either way, we cannot go to the Land of Fire just yet. We don’t want to attract too much attention as they are already paranoid a lot,” Sakura continued. That was one reason, yes. More importantly, she had no interest in stepping a foot in Konoha.

“Yeah, you’ avoiding your little leaf friends, pinky?” Hidan glanced at her with a wide know-it-all smile. He was very infuriating when he was right. But Sakura was not about to give in to this obvious provocation. Nothing could bring her down when she had just gotten her first mission.

“I am avoiding bringing attention to Akatsuki, Hidan. Please pay attention,” she snickered. Indeed, nothing will phase her. The whole time they were running towards Suna border, she practiced restoring her chakra on the fly. A jinchuriki will be the perfect test subject to try her new technique.

Sakura recalled that the first stage of the chunin exam in Konoha was just a paper test. The problem would be to avoid jonin guards at the border. They were doubled as to only allow 30 teams to pass. Yet another reason to enter the city, while the exam has not even started.

“As Suna is allied with Konoha, they might already know about Akatsuki. If not, there might be leaf shinobi in the villages around, so we should probably change our cloaks,” Sakura talked as her thoughts circled around _them_...

Shikamaru was the proctor for the written exam… he might come to Suna too. That is **if** he is the proctor in this timeline too. He probably is… The boy was always clever… It still stung her heart a bit to even recall his face. 

She shook her head slightly to get her mind in order. The others she remembered from the exam were Guy sensei, Sarutobi sensei, and Kurenai sensei. The most problematic probably Guy. A lot of people would mistakenly take him for a fool. Sakura knew better. She would not risk it…

And then there was Gaara. The new Kazekage. Her friend? She hoped he didn’t hold a grudge for that incident with his brother and sister… maybe she could make a small gesture to show her respect to him? Sakura wondered what exactly would be appropriate, reasonable, and not too suspicious.

“Oy, I’m talking to you!” suddenly she felt Hidan jab her to the side.

“Hm?”

“I was saying, you should take a picture, it will last longer.”

It took Sakura too long to realize that she was staring at him, while her thoughts derailed. She blinked a couple of times before laughing aloud.

“Oh, kami, maybe you should have killed me yesterday after all. I don’t think I can handle this.”

“Pffft! You’re laughing, aren’t you? Besides, we both know I am the best and you have no power to resist looking at me,” the confidence of this man rivaled Naruto and that is saying something. Although, laughing she was. She wasn’t too serious, stressed, or depressed. Sakura felt relaxed in his company and that was something to be thankful for. Something she had no power over. 

“Aww. What is true is not a lie,” she shrugged, giving him a pat on the back before leaping away.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean???” Hidan yelled to her back.

━━━━━━━━━━

The undead trio arrived at a small town near the Demon Desert surprisingly without any incidents. They made a stop in a small town for Kakuzu to get his ‘fix’. Then with their appearance changed to be as bland as possible Hidan, Kakuzu and Sakura found themselves stuck in an inn.

“Alright. Rain shinobi should go to the second round without any issues. We will wait for their message on who is the target,” Sakura said, basically reminding herself of the orders Pain gave them.

“How do we even know that there will be a beast in the exams?” to Hidan’s credit, that was a smart question. Sakura wondered about that too. How _did_ Pain know about it?

“Leader-sama has spies everywhere. Eyes and ears. He knows everything. As well as Sasori of the Red Sand,” Kakuzu said, neglecting to mention his own little network of informants.

“Mhm. That’s what I figured too. Now we wait.”

“How fuckin booooring. I’ll go get a drink,” Hidan left without saying anything else.

“Dick. Didn’t even offer me,” Sakura mumbled under her breath.

“He drinks alone.”

“Huh? Why?” now she was curious. Sakura sat down on an empty chair in front of Kakuzu fully expecting to hear some juicy gossip or at least another sob story. Men rarely choose to drink alone. If they do, it is for a good reason.

“Don’t know. Don’t care.”

That was disappointing. Yet Sakura should have known better than to expect something from Kakuzu. She sighed, closing her eyes.

“But we do need to infiltrate closer towards the area where the exams will be held if we want to keep track of everything.”

“Oh yeah, don’t sweat it, Kakuzu-kun!” Sakura clapped her hands cheerfully as to irk him even more. Sweet petty payback for his lack of information. 

She then brushed one finger over her arm with blood carefully trickling under her sleeve over her tattoo. In a poof of smoke, a white raven appeared.

“It’s been a while, Yuki,” she smiled at the bird as her hand carefully petted its head.

“ **It has, Saku-san, KRA!** ”

Kakuzu silently observed them with narrowed eyes. The man was suspicious but calm. Not like she was the only one with bird summons in Akatsuki.

“I will need your services again. Could you observe the desert nearby and let me know when genin shinobi arrive? They will come to the outpost building.”

“ **Understood,** ” she liked Yuki for the bird was not wasteful with its words.

“Also, please be aware of spying eye made out of sand. Lord Gaara is very perceptive.”

The white raven only gave her a nod before fluttering away over the open window into the night. Surprisingly, the darkness reflected well of its white feathers. Sakura guessed that Yuki was special in her camouflage ways.

“You have a contract with crows like the Uchiha?” dear Kakuzu was blunt as always. She gave him an unimpressed look.

“It’s a raven.”

“What’s the difference?”

“They’re bigger, size matters you know.”

“Hmm. I didn’t know you had summons.”

“Noone besides you and Itachi knows. Feel special, dollface,” Sakura blinked. It was amusing to converse with a man who also covered his face… almost like… nop. Sakura shook her head and stood up. “I'll go have a drink too, you should join us, Kakuzu-san.”

The man didn’t say anything. At least he hasn't tried to kill her for a while. Yet. Sakura didn’t know whether she should feel relieved or insulted. Either way, there was a person that had to be drowned in sake. Her. That person was Sakura and her mind full of ghosts from her past.

━━━━━━━━━━

A black cross decorated a picture in his personal bingo book. Kakuzu marked the number of RYO he received and made a total of his earnings for the past week. Numbers rounded up into average were lower than the last month. The old man frowned, tapping the pen with annoyance on the table as if the numbers would change to appease him.

They didn’t, so Kakuzu recounted his earnings instead. You could never be too sure. First glimmers of the rising sun colored the desert in red as he closed the briefcase and sealed it away. He looked around the inn room and found that neither Saku nor Hidan had returned since last night.

Kakuzu’s frown deepened. The two always found ways to waste his time. And now, he was stuck here waiting for a message. If only the pair could die… Who would have thought the little lady would be so hard to get rid of… She was a valuable asset now. But one day… one day, he will collect her bounty.

Unlike Hidan, Saku was smart and he respected that. She was calculating just like him. She was strong just like him. She found her own ways to stay alive just like him. She undoubtedly and irrefutable hated her village just like him.

At first, Kakuzu was not convinced, that is true, and as he failed to kill the pink-haired demon, the only other option was to get proof that she is a spy. Then Pain-sama would evaporate her himself.

Being around for so long and dealing in the black market, Kakuzu had connections. That’s how he called his own spies. Who proved to be very knowledgeable. Konoha was just too easy to infiltrate.

What he found out about Saku… it changed everything. It appears that the girl was one of the top shinobi, got her team back and safe after a brutal mission and, instead of praise, she was detained. Reading the report, Kakuzu could not control the flashbacks of his own imprisonment after battling Hashirama.

Shinobi villages were all the same. Using people as tools and then discarding them when they fail. No wonder she hated Konoha as much as he hated Waterfall. They were the same, after all.

“I swear… if Hidan does anything stupid again...” the man exhaled with exasperation as he rested on the bed. He might as well get some sleep until the two return.

Unfortunately, both of his partners returned alive and well. Or so it seemed. There was… _something_ in the air between the two. Kakuzu didn’t comment on it as he mentally analyzed their behavior.

Later in the day, a white raven returned to its mistress.

“ **The chicks have arrived. KRA!** ”

“What the FUCK is THAT?” with the first note of Hidan’s voice, his headache returned. 

“Shut it. And be more respectful with the omen of death,” Saku shushed the gray-haired one while Kakuzu was still silent. The bird was a useful asset. It didn’t bother him that much that ravens waited for the feast that awaited them after his bloody battles. 

“Great job, Yuki. Could you maybe locate one of them that has an extraordinary level of chakra?” Saku continued not saying out loud the name of the beast she was talking about. She didn’t have to. The bird was as smart as her. It nodded. 

After another spine rattling ‘KRA’ the raven flopped out from the window it came through. And now they wait. Again.

This time it took less than a day for the bird to return. Consequently, a message arrived from Konan at almost the same time. Their target was confirmed. Fū of the Village Hidden by the Waterfall.

“Oh boy! I hope she begs!” Saku giggled over the smoke left by her vanished summon. Her green eyes twinkled with excitement. Kakuzu didn’t understand why she was like that. The youth, he thought tiredly as the three of them leaped away from the inn.

The kids were always eager to do their master's bidding. Although, Kakuzu wasn’t yet sure who exactly was Saku serving… She was a wild child swayed by whims and twisted mind of hers. She was but a wisp of fresh air, a stroke of color in the bleak today.

“We’ll ambush them as they will cross the border,” Kakuzu said to concentrate his own thoughts the most on the task ahead.

It was rather easy to spot the three chakra signatures moving along the forest. The stupid beast wasn’t even trying to conceal itself. The group of shinobi finally stopped on a rock.

“We might not know who you are, but you bet we’re on to you!” one of the men yelled. Kakuzu hopped out to the clearing with Hidan and Saku on either side. 

“Finally! If we didn't get to kill you it would be a real… pain!” Hidan the loudmouth he was, already started his performance. The faces of the men before him didn’t look worthy to Kakuzu. They might be skilled, but not enough to be in his book.

“Wait! Say, mister, aren’t you from the Hidden Waterfall?” the girl in the middle yelped. Kakuzu glanced at her, not bothering to answer.

“Hmh,” he only grumbled, getting more annoyed by the second.

“What’s that?” one of them now looked at him and his headband. 

“Yeah! I know you! After you failed to assassinate the Hokage you stole the hearts of the village elders and escaped. You’re Kakuzu-senpai!” the girl almost shrieked. She was loud and bubbly. Yet still, he didn’t miss a scoff that came from Saku’s side. 

“Kakuzu?” the same man gaped.

“Impossible… he’d be too old,” the other joined in with disbelief clear in his eyes. Pathetic vermin, Kakuzu thought. They were not even worthy of his time.

“You know, I’ve always thought, that if I got to meet you, I’d like to be your friend,” the girl, Fu, continued to speak to his great displeasure.

“Kakuzu, is she stupid?” Hidan for once said something reasonable.

“I wouldn’t know, I deserted the village long ago,” he answered his partner for once.

“How about we start out with some tea and get to know each other?” the jinchuriki actually dared to approach him with an extended hand.

“I didn’t come here today to become your friend, you fool,” Kakuzu growled looking down at the silly girly.

“Hmm, well that really is too bad...”

“He already has friends, so give up on your dream and die, jinchuriki,” it was Saku now who interrupted Fu getting all attention to the pink-haired woman that was left forgotten till now.

Kakuzu looked at her too. Friends? Was she seriously considering them friends? This got him unusually flustered. Thankfully, Hidan laughed and leaped forth to slaughter the two jonin left behind.

While the girls… it would be wrong to call it a catfight. It was more like a meeting between two earthquakes that shattered everything under their feet. Kakuzu stayed behind and observed. Planned. Carefully looked for the moment to strike. Their goal was only the jinchuriki so he was not about to waste time in meaningless scuffles.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura breathed heavily for a second before her eyes shot open with new strength behind them. If her mask would be lowered, everyone would see the crazy smile that graced her lips. She just battled a seven tails jinchuriki and her chakra reserves are full! 

At least 30 percent of her cells will have to rest before producing more, but that is not too important. The fact still remains - she can stand on her own against monsters of all kinds.

It didn’t even matter that Kakuzu got the last blow. Honestly, she was very surprised to see the man move with such speed. He could definitely rival even Kakashi.

“Oy, pinky, why didn’t you use your blood thing today?” Hidan stopped by her side as he wiped the blood from his already healed chest.

“It would be too boring if I ended it too quickly,” Sakura shrugged thankful that her emotions were back in check. She avoided looking at the man by her side. There was still some unusual regret plaguing her mind.

That night with Hidan… She wished she never opened her mouth and talked to the man. She wished she didn’t allow herself to get drunk. She wished she hadn’t heard the things he said to her… How could she look him in the eyes now? She couldn’t.

“Let’s go,” Kakuzu urged with the unconscious body of Fu slung over his shoulder.

“Oh, where are we going now? Are we bringing her back to Ame?” she asked, honestly unaware about this part of the Akatsuki work.

“No. Leader-sama does not want dangerous things like the beasts in the village.”

“Ahh, that makes sense, Wolfy-kun loves his village and people,” Sakura gave a nod. That did sound a lot like Nagato. Plus, it most likely was a tactic to not attract attention to Amegakure.

“Yeah, cupcake, get ready to concentrate for a few days straight. The extraction is a major bitch,” Hidan slung one hand over her shoulder making Sakura’s back tense. That didn’t last long. In ten minutes of walking, she forced herself to relax. 

Suck it up, she ordered herself. There was a job to be done.

After a while, they reached a cave. Hidan leisurely sat with Fu by his feet, while Kakuzu prepared seals for a protective barrier. Meanwhile, Sakura took out a small scroll and a brush. She curved letters of her own on the blank page.

Quickly, her letter was finished. Carefully secured and with a little while of dark purple liquid attached inside, she sent it away with one of her ravens.

“Who is that for?” Kakuzu asked as he appeared by her side very conveniently having to place a seal on that side of the cave entrance.

“A friend. Just a little gift before I forgot or died of chakra exhaustion during this weird-ass sealing bullshit, _Kakuzu-senpai_ ,” she chuckled.

━━━━━━━━━━

_Gaara,_

_Congratulations on becoming the Kazekage. I had no doubts you would be chosen. You will be, you actually already are, a great leader. I hope you harbor no hard feelings about that Suna nin of yours I killed. To be fair, they attacked first. I did leave Kankuro and Temari alive, so that has to count for something?_

_Either way, here is a small token. A gift if you may. I respect you and I do feel bad for what had to be done. So I sent you some top-class poison. I believe Kankuro will love it. It was made by the expert poison master in all the lands._

_You might have heard of him. Sasori of the Red Sand. He is a rather annoying old man, but you probably wouldn’t know… Either way, I think the puppeteer will be highly irked if another puppet master will have immunity to his poison or even replicate it._

_Good luck, Lord Gaara. I wish you all the best._   
_S.H._

Gaara reread the letter a few times before burning it to ash. He could have asked to trace the scent or track the bird that brought this scroll, but he didn’t. There was something that prevented him from hunting down Saku.

He… no, she was the first person to believe in him. And now she is the one being hunted and assassinated. Just like he once was.

“Hmm… I wonder if I could help you, Saku,...” he said contemplating what Naruto would do in his stead. The blond would definitely have done something. “In time,” Gaara exhaled as the ash mixed with sand leaving no trace.

Lord Kazekage stood up with the vile in his hand and went to seek out his brother. A gift like this meant more than words. He was slowly making a resolve to help his… friend.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Years, everyone! I am back from my small holidays and will return to my 'usual' posting schedule every other day :D


	57. What Happens in an Onsen...

Sakura sent a precise amount of chakra towards her ring. The green stone glowed mildly before she felt a metaphorical click in her mind. When her eyes opened now, Sakura found herself standing on top of a statue's finger. She looked around to find other Akatsuki members perched just like herself.

Their bodies were see-through like holograms. They probably _were_ holograms to be fair. On the ‘finger’ next to her stood a hazy figure of Itachi. She raised one hand in greeting. He barely nodded in response. One day… One day she will make him smile and lose his composure…

The pinkie ‘finger’ on the other side of her, on the other hand, was empty. She guessed that it was Orochimaru’s spot. Huh, both of them were given the position on the pinkie ‘finger’. A strange coincidence had to be brushed aside, as Pain started to speak.

“It has been a while since we all gathered like this.”

“Oh yeah! We kicked major ass!” Hidan closed his mouth quickly after he received a stern stare from their leader.

“Indeed. A jinchuriki was successfully captured.”

“So what now? Are we gonna seal it into someone else now?” Sakura asked looking around expecting to see a person marked as the sacrificial lamb for this ceremony.

“Some _thing_ else. Let us begin,” Pain did not allow any discussions to her disappointment. On the other hand, Sakura was curious to see how exactly did the extraction of a jinchuriki work. Purely from a scientific point of view of course.

Honestly, the woman lost her interest rather quickly. Unlike other Akatsuki members, she didn’t have to concentrate that hard to focus her chakra precisely. Sakura’s issue was how quickly her reserves were burning up from the use.

The tailed beast resisted and the extraction was brutal. When it all began, the girl, Fu, started to scream while the acidic chakra leaked from her orifices. Sakura wasn’t too disturbed by the sight. She was more curious if anything.

“Wow… I didn’t expect it to be this boring…” she sighed shifting her holographic form into a sitting position. Ah, the benefits of having perfect chakra control were sweet, she thought with sarcasm. Yet the annoyed looks other Akatsuki members dropped her way were worth it.

In the end, the now dead and empty shell of a former jinchuriki dropped to the ground. Three days and a half it took for them to do the full extraction. THREE. WHOLE. FUCKING. DAYS. Sakura gasped for air by the end of it.

“What’s the matter, pinky? Still bored?” Hidan, the devil, snickered although he didn’t look too good either.

“Are you alright, Saku-san?” asked Itachi in a quieter tone. 

“Yeah yeah, need a nap,” she waved him off and stretched, cracking her shoulders a bit.

“Bring back the jinchuriki’s body. You are all dismissed,” Paid said dryly before dispersing first. Sakura snickered behind the mask as she found it funny how Nagato still played the charade of a ruthless leader. She knew that the man had a squishy gentle and innocent center somewhere inside his chest. Somewhere deep. But it was still there.

Sasori disappeared without saying a single word. His eyes only send a clear message towards Sakura. It was indeed clear - DIE IN A PAINFUL LONG DEATH. Deidara shortly followed.

“Saku, find me when you come back, yeah?”

She raised one hand in a thumbs-up gesture, too exhausted to speak anymore. And to think that they had to do this at least seven or eight more times. What a drag, she thought absentmindedly. That one word snapped the woman out of the daze she was in.

Sakura waved at Kisame and Itachi before vanishing back into her body. She had a strong urge to run away from this place where she uttered the tabu word…

“Let’s go,” she snapped at the two partners of hers and leaped away without even waiting for their response.

“Fuckin RUDE!” Hidan yelled at her back once again.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura looked at the glass jar that stood in front of her on the laboratory table. For a moment she tried to remember how long has it been? A year? No, less. It had to be less than a year since she joined Akatsuki. A couple of months have passed after the mission capturing the seven tails beast.

There were a couple more minor missions, but nothing major. So Sakura could spend all the time she wanted on her own experiments. Besides the little healing sessions with Nagato and Itachi for the most part. Ironically, the most powerful men were the weakest physically. 

Meanwhile, Sasori avoided her like the plague for a few weeks before he himself suggested another spar. That day, the floor was wiped once again by q certain redhead. Sakura laughed. Until Kisame suggested to spar as well. That is where she was the one hugging the ground for dear life.

Deidara was the person she could casually spend time with. They drank together on occasion. Talked about art and blowing things up. Then they would actually go and cause destruction. He was a fun guy. Hidan tried to butt-in but was denied. No, Sakura was not avoiding him… not at all… Alright, yes, she was avoiding the undead man. After that one mission, everything changed.

Sakura could no longer feel as relaxed next to him. The man tried and was relentless with his determination to break her.

“Hidan, what do you want from me?” one day she finally snapped as he waited by her door.

“I want to drink with you again,” he said without an ounce of shame. Not even a sly smile graced his face. Kami, he was seriously suggesting they repeat that night…

Being mature and wise, Sakura reverted to the techniques of her former sensei and vanished with a shunshin. She could not handle the man's clinginess anymore. It was tiring her beyond what she could bear.

So that is how Sakura yet again found herself back in the dark of the laboratory with her sealed head in a jar. She looked at the ‘gift’. Ever since Hidan brought it, Sakura didn’t have time to inspect it. Now she had time. It was not like she had to find a way how to combat dead bodies… She was definitely not avoiding that part of her experimentation plan too…

Without realizing, or maybe intentionally ignoring it, Sakura was again slowly slipping. Her inherent behavior of avoiding things that hurt her and not dealing with them came to light. For one, there was that whole thing with Hidan that came back to her mind full force every time she saw his face. Her chest would clench, she would feel regret like she betrayed _someone_. These were not the things she wanted to experience, so instead of resolving her issues, Sakura chose the bliss of ignorance.

While it was more or less clear why the idea of spending time with Hidan pained her, why she delayed looking for a way to battle Pain was a whole another story. After time spent with Nagato, healing him, talking with him, .... After the time she spent in Akatsuki... The woman's resolve to kill him started to waver.

Amegakure was her home now and Sakura liked it here. She felt safe under the cover of rain. Even the homicidal grouchy man that was Kakuzu grew on her. EVEN Konan started to regard her in a more friendly manner. The origami mistress finally showed some appreciation for the strides of improvement Sakura made with Nagato, even if she didn't say so in words. Sakura could just tell by the glow. Hell, that's how she looked after visiting the Land of Sound...

Thinking about it only made Sakura’s head hurt so she reverted to what she did best - training. With untamed determination, she focused on the mysterious head with the powers to bend metal. After a few tests, it didn't look that puzzling anymore. She couldn't detect anything _special_. For now. Nothing could be more determined, as a person procrastinating and avoiding his actual problems. Sakura was that person.

━━━━━━━━━━

She looked warily at the little white snake that wrapped around her ankle. It’s kinda sweet to get these little messages from him, but if anyone would notice… Sakura exhaled and leaned down to take the snake into her hand instead before it slithered up her body by itself.

“Okey, what is it?” she looked at the split red pupils. Honestly, they met not _that_ long ago so Sakura was curious as to why Orochimaru would reach out so soon. The snake wrapped around her hand and wrist and only then spoke.

Well, it actually didn’t speak like that one time. Instead, the snake opened its mouth and Sakura saw a little note on its tongue. Carefully she took it out. An address was curved on the little paper. The handwriting was neat and over the top. Definitely Orochimaru’s. She could recognize it anywhere by now after she spent months deciphering his old notes.

By the address was also a date. This all was too suspicious to be true. For the snake to risk so much by sending her notes… that just sounded unlike him. Although, he was unpredictable. Sakura exhaled feeling heaviness on her shoulders.

“I’m too tired, little one, tell that to your master,” she whispered to the snake. Indeed, her research took a lot of energy. Not physical, no. Mental energy. Her brain was tired of thinking and processing. And if there were _any_ other reasons she didn’t want to see Orochimaru now, Sakura strictly ignored them. 

Thinking now about the sannin she felt her chest tighten. Like a knot appearing in her throat making it hard to breathe. The foul feeling was laced with regret and shame and pain. Like she did something bad to Orochimaru, even though the rational part of her mind said otherwise…

In response, the snake tightened around her wrist. She exhaled deeply looking at the little white creature. It reminded her of him. Maybe that is why she eventually caved.

“Fine. I’ll be there, now shoo before anyone found you,” the snake instantly loosened from the hold it had on her hand and plopped onto the ground. It was out of sight in seconds. Sakura let out another heavy sigh.

“I’m so stupid… why would he even care what I do… this is just a mutual agreement, nothing more,” she said sternly to herself. It was easy to believe that Orochimaru would not think much of her actions or choices. And that thought managed to comfort her _and_ upset her all at the same time.

“Stupid stupid stupid...” she whined letting herself fall apart for this one instant. After ten minutes of sighing and muttering self-deprecating insults Sakura finally pulled herself back together. 

She straightened her back and looked down at her desk. The lab was quiet as all her test subjects were now dead, waiting for the next experiment…

“Alright,” she centered her mind into a full state of focus and unsealed one of her most hidden scrolls with notes. The kanji on the top said ‘Edo Tensei 2.0’.

━━━━━━━━━━

The Land of Hotsprings. Sakura was just on time for her secret meeting. Honestly, she cursed half of the way for the bastard setting up the location so far away from her and so close to him. The other half of the way she came around to the idea and actually realized that it was smart. The farther it was - the less chance to run into any other Akatsuki wondering about.

Her black cloak with red clouds fluttered in the wind as she leaped from one branch to the other. A straw hat hid her face in the shadows. Sakura wasn’t wearing her usual mask although the closer she got, the more she wanted to turn around and run away.

What if he will know? What if he finds out? Would he care? Why does it matter if he cares or not? Plagued with neverending ‘what if’s’ she finally reached a small village and looked around for the address that the snake sent her.

Sakura stopped in front of an onsen and did a double check on the plaque with the street name.

“Seriously?” she muttered unsurely, but now it was too late to turn around. Her mind, body, and soul were so exhausted, that an onsen sounded like an actually good idea.

“Good day!” a cheery old lady greeted. She was crooked by old age and barely even taller than the counter she stood behind initially. Now in front of Sakura, the woman croaked her head and peered under her hat from down below. It was a bit strange to find someone shorter than herself, so Sakura looked at the curious old lady with amusement.

“Hello?” she offered.

The old lady cackled as a smile stretched wider on her wrinkled face.

“Ahh! Pink hair, green eyes lady!” it sounded as if she recognized Sakura. “Please follow me.”

Orochimaru or whoever sent the message obviously warned the keeper to look out for a woman with Sakura’s appearance. She sighed and followed into the depths of the onsen. They stopped by nice-looking shoji doors. The old lady opened it for Sakura and motioned for her to go in.

“Thanks?”

“Have a nice stay!” the old lady said not even bothering to go inside as she closed the door leaving Sakura alone. The woman could hear the keepers step going down the corridor until they disappeared from her hearing range.

“Huh…” Sakura muttered and looked around the room. It was large with quality tatami floors and a small wooden table in the center with two pillows next to it for sitting. There were a few other shoji doors to other rooms of these quarters she guessed. And there was another door slightly opened, that led to the inner garden.

She was about to peek outside when Sakura noticed a snake slither inside. Instinctively she stepped back and watched as the white creature slithered to one of the other shoji doors as if showing her the way like some creepy rescue dog.

“Okay…” she tilted her head in a questioning manner but followed into the room the snake obviously wanted her in. It turned out to be a dressing room of sorts. There were towels, robes, and all you would need in an onsen. She got the hint and shed her clothing.

Eventually, after taking a shower, Sakura wrapped herself in a towel that ended just below her butt. Not too bothered, she stepped out and went barefooted into the garden.

It was beautiful. Old trees leaning by the straw fence. Stone tracks leading towards a cloud of steam that hung above a hotspring. And there he was. Sitting in the water, with his dark hair cascading down over his shoulders, hands resting on the edge. His stark pale chest trickled with the smallest glimmers of water. His golden eyes bore into her the moment she stepped outside.

“Coooommmme,” he said in a surprisingly not an ordering tone, that she would have expected to hear. It was more like the sannin was asking her to join him. Sakura smirked and stepped closer. She carefully sat on the edge submerging only her feet right below her knees. The water was nice and warm instantly relaxing her tired calf muscles.

She considered that this was an improvement, compared to the last time they met almost tearing each other apart with feral lust. Or maybe it was just her exhaustion keeping her thirst at bay.

“What’s the occasion?” Sakura finally asked, keeping up the intense eye contact between them. Although her traitorous eyes wanted to wander over the exposed skin of the man in front of her.

“You ssssaid you were tirrrred.”

“Liar. You sent the address of this place before you knew it.”

“Hmmm… did I now?” he didn’t answer fully and only smiled mischievously at her. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Actually, Sakura never truly bothered to even consider what was going on in Orochimaru’s head. It was easier to assume that he had a self-serving agenda. Now, thinking about it, she was not so sure anymore.

There was something gentle in his eyes. And his smile was soft. She might dare to say… genuine. To others, this scene might look odd, but for Sakura’s eyes, it brought a familiar warmth and calm.

Fearing what could happen if she kept on staring, Sakura looked up at the sky with her head dropped back, her hands rested on the smooth stones as she leaned back. She heard water rippling and then felt the snake's hand touch her knee.

They were like two magnets - unable to stay apart. Something was pulling them to one another. Sakura smiled slightly as she felt his hair brush over her skin. Her green eyes looked down and found the sannin resting his head in her lap.

She leaned closer to whisper by his ear.

“Looks like we have company.”

“The ogrrrre never changessss. With his vullllgar peeping habitssss,” Orochimaru clicked his tongue but didn’t move from the warm spot he was in.

“Vulgar?” Sakura snickered. Her hand absentmindedly started to stroke his hair. “I don’t think you should be saying that considering the show you put up last time for Sasuke.”

“MMmm, a sssshow you ssssay?” his tongue darted out giving a quick touch to her exposed thigh. Sakura leaned back again. Well, if Orochimaru was not concerned about Jiraiya, who was spying on them from behind the straw fence, there was really no reason for her to worry either.

Looks like Orochimaru wasn’t bothered in the slightest. She felt his grin by her skin.

“Trusssst me,” he whispered the same line she once said to him. Sakura instantly understood where he was going with it. Like a trigger was flipped and her heart started to beat faster with excitement.

Sakura was expecting this, but it still made her skin shiver, when she felt his hands on her knees spreading them apart. A sharp inhale followed when he leaned in. Her eyes fixed on the cloudy sky as she tried not to completely fall apart. 

It didn’t come as a surprise, everyone knew subconsciously - Orochimaru’s tongue was something. Sakura gasped feeling the intrusion towards her core. His hands kept a tight hold on her thighs, keeping the woman in place and open for him.

“Oh Kami…” she gasped again. Sakura’s hand tangled in the snake's dark locks and she fully laid back. The long and meaty tongue did things inside of her that she never imagined even in the privacy of her own room.

Sakura moaned loudly, feeling engulfed by the heat. Her back instinctively arched making the towel slip to the ground. She was bare and exposed, yet not a single worry plagued her mind now. For a moment there, her mind even went blank. Slow flames of this sinful passion consumed the woman until she lost all control and came from the stimulation.

Orochimaru pulled back just a bit so that he could lay kisses on her skin. His hands grabbed her even tighter and he pulled the limp woman into the water and into his embrace.

“Ohh… Orochi…” Sakura whispered to his neck, not caring if her voice shuttered. Her whole body still shivered from the orgasm.

“Mmmm you are deliiiicious, my Ssssaku,” the man said in response. Neither noticed Jiraiya leaving as they both had an absolute focus on one another. They were lost in a haze. They lived for that moment alone. And they were completely oblivious to the feelings that actually brought them together.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Hey! Pervy sage! Where have you been??”

“Naruto, I think it is time for us to return back to Konoha...”

“Oh yeah! Finally! I cannot wait to show my new skills to Saku and Kakashi sensei, believe it!”

━━━━━━━━━━


	58. Home Sweet Home

In this case, what happened in the onsen, could not stay there. Jiraiya had to report what he witnessed. Saku Haruno was now in the Akatsuki organization. He saw her cloak and much more…

And to think that Jiraiya only wanted to rest for a bit, while Naruto was busy with his new training. The sage found a nice ‘tavern’ to take refuge in. Surrounded by full bosoms, the man reminiscent behind his cheery smile. 

He drank and laughed until a flutter of color caught his skilled shinobi eyes. Black and red. Instantly he excused from his company and left the establishment via the back alley. Chakra concealed he blended into the crowd with his appearance also transformed.

It was not that hard to spot a familiar straw hat. There was no question about it - it was an Akatsuki cloak. What did concern Jiraiya, was that the person was alone. So far, over his espionage missions, the man learned that Akatsuki usually traveled in pairs. 

That being said, a single Akatsuki no matter how strong, was still something he could deal with. His mission clear, the toad sannin decided to continue his watch before attacking. 

_I will learn what is your ploy._ He thought, keeping a safe distance away from the small figure. It was proving hard to even tell who was wearing the cloak. The person was not tall or bulky. Even the head was fully hidden in the shadows of the big hat.

After a few minutes, the figure stopped in front of an onsen. Not for a second, Jiraiya didn’t buy the idea of an Akatsuki traveling so far to simply have a bath and relax. _No. Fucking. Way. Either the establishment is a cover. OR he is meeting someone here._

Of course, Jiraiya couldn’t just stroll in through the front door. He quickly summoned a couple of small toads and ordered them to investigate where the cloaked figure wandered off. A couple of minutes later his summons returned.

“He was lead to one of the rooms in the back? Perfect,” Jiraiya released his summons and prepared to get closer. Chakra suppressed to the size of a fly, the man expertly weaved around the establishment until his eyes located the right area marked by the toads.

Inaudible steps brought him right to the fence. Only this time, he was not peeping on bathing women, but an S-rank criminal. Jiraiya moved with extreme caution as he peeked through a small gap between the straws.

His blood went cold faster than in a blink of an eye. Jiraiya could recognize that black head of hair and lean back with pale almost white skin anywhere. Orochimaru. The sannin frowned with confusion. By his intel, the snake no longer belonged to the organization, but maybe it was a farce?

Yet, it was no coincidence, that the snake sannin just happened to be in the same onsen that an Akatsuki member walked into. Either way, the fact was clear - Orochimaru did have a connection with Akatsuki even now. And he will be damned if he doesn’t figure out what the connection is when he went so far already.

Not moving a single muscle Jiraiya stood waiting behind the fence. He almost didn’t even breathe. While his eyes took careful note of the surroundings. There was a high chance of snakes hiding around.

There was a sound of shoji doors opening. The man's eyes instantly were on the spot where the movement happened. He expected to see the familiar cloak flailing around, but instead what he noticed first was a pair of long slender legs.

This was _not_ what he expected. Orochimaru and… a woman? A pretty one at that? There was something wrong there. Something… unnatural. And he was right. When the figure stepped into the light he saw the pink strands of hair framing a delicate face.

 _Haruno Saku._ He recognized the emerald eyes and pink hair combination. So that is what her face looked like, he thought. Of course, he was already notified by Tsuna-hime about the girls ‘situation’.

And of course, Jiraiya did not pass on this information to Naruto. The boy most definitely would freak and drop anything he was doing at the moment in turn of chasing after his former teammate.

“Coooommmme,” he heard Orochimaru say in a weird sort of tone Jiraiya has never heard before from the man. It was not cold, stern, or sarcastic. No, it was… _different_.

Sannin's eyes watched carefully what would happen next. From a habit, he took note of this new and true appearance of the girl he once met more than two years ago now. Her skin was starkly pale, but not unhealthy like Orochimaru’s. There was not a single scar he could note.

Not to state the obvious, but Jiraiya was now fully sure - Saku was truly a female. Yes, he believed it now as his eyes lingered on her chest area. In all accounts, the girl was pretty even when she pretended to be a boy. Now it was a different kind of pretty… Mature beauty.

_What a shame that she left Konoha…_

The only logical explanation why she was here, would be that Saku found a place alongside Sasuke. That made sense. That was logical, but the pair's conversation said otherwise.

Jiraiya squinted slightly as he noticed a small ring on the girl’s pinky. He was far away, but it wasn’t hard to tell that the ring was the same as all Akatsuki have. That confirms it. She was the figure with the cloak he saw before She is part of Akatsuki. 

Now the more troubling question - how long has she been in Akatsuki? Was she a spy planted in Konoha? And _what is she doing with Orochimaru???!!_ He almost gasped seeing his former teammate lay on her lap like some puppy.

The sannin carefully felt around to see if maybe that was a genjutsu. Nothing. This was actually happening. 

_WHO are YOU?_ Jiraiya mentally asked Orochimaru. This was extremely concerning behavior. His former teammate almost looked vulnerable, if Jiraiya didn't know better. But he knew better than to trust his eyes. Orochimaru would never drop his guard or allow to be so exposed. And yet here he was - resting his head on a girl's lap, naked and completely content. At least neither noticed his presence yet or so he thought. The man quickly snapped back from his train of thought as some movement happened between the two.

Jiraiya leaned closer pressing his face practically straight to the fence. He was drawn to the scandalous scene that unfolded right before his eyes. Orochimaru was actually doing, what he thinks he is doing...

“Oh Kami…” sultry gasp that escaped Saku’s lips was yet another side of her the man never imagined she possessed. That person was no girl, it was a lustful woman tempted by the snake. Jiraiya swallowed heavily, his hands grasped the fence post harder when she moaned again.

He would have been completely fine. For Kami’s sake, the toad sage has seen and done and even written more than this. If not for the damn towel... Almost in slow motion, it slipped down to the ground as Saku arched her back. Her bare nipples were erect and pointed up like perfect mountain peaks.

Now the man felt a major discomfort in his pants as his eyes were still glued to this… this… woman. The sight was hypnotic, like something from a fever dream.

Only with great will power did Jiraiya manage to turn away and leave. As he carefully backtracked, his alert ears picked up on the final sound Saku made. The unmistakable moan of a person who reached one’s peak.

“Shit…” he cursed, spreading away from the vile place. Far enough, the man finally stopped in the shadows of a forest. Jiraiya's hand instinctively and urgently went under his robes. Eyes closed and leaning to a tree, he quickly stroked the enlarged part of his body.

Her provocative voice still echoed in the man's ears. Even with closed eyes the sannin could still see her body shiver and contort from what Orochimaru was doing… _She probably tastes sweet…_ he thought unintentionally and that was enough to bring him over the edge.

Regret and disgust followed shortly after. He was a man with needs, yes, but that there… she was so young he tried to remind himself. Jiraiya mentally cursed as he cleaned himself up. The more he tried to deny what he just saw, the more it seemed not so far fetched.

Orochimaru most definitely could have brainwashed the girl to mess with Sasuke for one. Or to spy on Akatsuki. Yeah, that’s it. The snake was using her, no doubt. Maybe it was time for him, Tsunade, and Orochimaru to have a little get together… _The old team seven reunion, huh?_

Thoughts buzzing without rest, the toad sannin finally turned back to fetch Naruto. It was time for them to return to Konoha. Jiraiya just hoped that Naruto was ready.

━━━━━━━━━━

It took only two days to return back. Naruto eagerly ran through the gates and hopped on an electricity post. Jiraiya watched his boy look around. It felt good to be home at last. Naruto looked around the familiar village. He right away noticed the new stone face on the mountain.

“Let’s go see baa-chan!” he yelled back towards the sannin. Shortly after they reached the Hokage tower and without pause the young man barged inside her office.

“Hey! Baa-chan! I am back!” he announced with a dazzling smile, completely ignorant to the wary look on Tsunade’s face. Hell, he didn’t even pick up on Jiraiya’s tame behavior.

“Naruto, you cannot just barge in like this…” the sannin behind the desk sighed, already rubbing her temples. Naruto only laughed, brushing it off. If he would pay attention to everyone who didn’t want his presence… well, let’s just say, Naruto would have a hard time. The only solution was to not pay any mind to anyone.

“I am ready for missions, believe it! Team seven is back again.”

Now Naruto did notice Tsunade cringe at his words. The blond paused with his brilliant smile wavering. “What’s the matter, baa-chan? Have you changed your mind about Sasuke-kun? Are we no longer trying to get him back…?”

This was hard to say for Naruto, but on the road, with Jiraiya, the boy grew up and matured. He was a bit more continuous of his surroundings and that already was a huge improvement compared to his initial oblivion. Tsunade sighed deeply. He noticed Hokage giving a strange glare towards his sensei. Naruto glanced between them confused.

“What is it?” he asked as neither spoke aloud.

“Saku Haruno has defected from Konoha.” 

Six simple words were enough to paralyze the blond. He stood trying to comprehend the information he just received. Naruto looked at Jiraiya, then again at Tsunade as if waiting for either of the two to laugh and say it was a joke.

“No… but… It cannot be… Saku… he would never betray Konoha!” Naruto was convinced by his words. They had to be laying.

Tsunade groaned again with exasperation.

“It turned out that Saku Haruno is a _she_. And _she_ was hiding her true gender from everyone. When confronted she left the village,” Naruto was not that stupid anymore. Even he could tell that Hokage was glossing over what happened. His mind simply could not process this information.

Saku was… a girl? He.. She pretended? Left the village? No way! Saku was one of the most loyal and dedicated shinobi he knew. Naruto abruptly leaped through the window and ran over the rooftops towards the shinobi district.

A while back, in the good old days, when team seven tracked Kakashi sensei to find what was hiding behind his mask, they did find his home address. Now Naruto stood in front of the man's door breathing heavily. He waited a minute before actually knocking. 

To his surprise, the door opened with his sensei looking at him with a tired eye.

“Naruto, you’re back,” he said allowing the teen to enter.

“Kakashi-sensei! Is it true??? About Saku-kun????” the blond cut to the chase as he barged in the apartment. His bright blue eyes were wide. He hoped to hear reassurance, but his sensei's silence was louder than words.

“She left the village,” Kakashi only said, strangely avoiding his gaze. At least he didn’t hide by his usual Icha Icha book. 

“But… but why?”

“I… failed her as a sensei. I failed Sasuke. It is my fault,” the man said in a robotic detached voice, yet Naruto was still struck with disbelief. This all sounded ridiculous. 

“I will find Saku! I will bring her back! I promise! Even if I die, I will bring them both back, sensei!” it was not his usual optimistic proclamation. No, Naruto was dead serious and this was an oath. A promise he would die to complete.

"Naruto... no. We will get her back together," Kakshi corrected. 

It was strange to talk with sensei so casually. Mostly because he was never tjis chatty, that really made Naruto wonder what exactly happened when he was away. So that is what they talked about with a cup of tea. The village. The people. What else changed.

"...so you are the only genin left..."

"WHAAAT?"

"And actually, Neji and Shikamaru are jonin now."

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT? I mean, I get Neji, but Shikamaru???" the blonds eyes were wide yet again. He would have never expected for his lazy friend to climb the ranks. 

"Yes, after... after _she_ left, Shikamaru seriously concentrated on his training."

"Oh maaaaan... Well no matter! I will still become the Hokage!!"

"There's probably one more thing you should know, Naruto."

"What is it, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Gaara is now the Kazekage."

"..."

Naruto paused looking up to the ceiling. Man, it was naive to think that his friends would sit in one place while he trained himself. He smiled.

"Good. I am happy for Gaara. He deserves it," Naruto gave a nod as if confirming that there was another reason why he will be the next kage in the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

━━━━━━━━━━

Tsunade looked at her window almost glad that Naruto left so quickly, without asking for more details. Kami knows she didn't want to lie to the boy. SHe turned her golden eyes towards Jiraiya who looked unusually serious as he stood in front of her desk. She curved an eyebrow in a questioning manner.

"Did you find something?" she asked after activating her highest level privacy seals. Even ANBU would not be able to hear their conversation.

"I saw Haruno. In the Land of Hotsprings. That is actually one of the reasons we returned a bit earlier than I planned," the man said fully capturing her attention. Tsunade 'hmm'ed in response folding her fingers and placing her chin on top in a contemplative manner.

"Go on."

"For one, she wore an Akatsuki cloak and had a ring. It is a telltale sign of her affiliation with the group," to Jiraiya’s surprise, his former teammate only sighed, not looking surprised at all.

"That's pretty much what I expected. Being a missing-nin of her level, Haruno was bound to be approached by them sooner or later. And I assume you cannot simply say no to Akatsuki."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "So you are going to do nothing about this? You are not even hunting her down?"

"To be honest, the girly is on a whole nother level. We simply don't have people to spare, who could come back from such a mission alive. And actually, I have something else in mind..."

Before Tsunade could continue, the toad sannin approached her desk, leaned in and said to her, looking dead in the eyes. "I saw Haruno meet Orochimaru. Orochimaru! He is no longer Akatsuki, so I am not sure what are they plotting, but it cannot be anything good."

Tsunade leaned back in her chair. _This_ was something she didn't expect. Yet, it might be beneficial in the future. "Hmmm, actually we might get two birds with one stone. I think it is time for Konoha to reach out to Uchiha Itachi. If Saku is indeed in Akatsuki, he might already know that we _know_. Maybe he can become our eyes and ears inside the organisation. Plus, we could interest him with information about Orochimaru..."

"Tsunade! Just listen to yourself! What are you playing here? Hasn't the boy sacrificed enough for Konoha?"

"Indeed, that is why we should not allow his brother to be Orochimaru's next vessel."

"Ha! And you just think that Orochi will come and give him to us? Please! Yes, he looked different when I saw him, but I am pretty sure he would rather kill us than give what we want."

"He looked different?" Tsunade leaned closer with her interest shining in her eyes. She raised her eyebrows further, when she spotted light dust of blush on Jiraiya’s cheeks.

"He... I am pretty sure he was playing some kind of charade to manipulate Haruno..."

"And what _charade_ are you talking about?" she pushed further to get a straight answer.

"It doesn't matter! What matters is that he won't give Sasuke back to us!"

"We shall see," Tsunade mumbled, taking out a scroll. She still planned to get the truth out of Jiraiya later, but that could wait. For now, she had to set up a meeting with a snake.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one bites the dust! Please give a warm welcome to the new member of Saku's harem ^^


	59. Experimentation IV

Sakura listened to the calm beat of a strong heart in the chest she was laying on. Their naked bodies were still tangled with one another under a lite silk cover. The first light of dawn threatened to shine inside their room. She had been awake for an hour now. It was rather pleasant to extend the little time off she had this way.

“Cannot sleep?” she heard his voice rumble the previously serene chest.

“Mmm-mmm,” she murmured in response before perching her chin on his chest to look up at his sleepy face. “I am enjoying the silence and calm. It is fragile.”

“I see. Are Akatsuki the one’s upsetting you?”

For Kami’s sake! The man was a mind reader, Sakura could swear to it. How else could he tell? She was at a loss for words. What on earth could she tell him? Surely not the truth.

“My experiment was a success.”

“But?” Orochimaru asked as his hand gently brushed over her short hair.

“It doesn’t feel enough.”

“It never is enough,” he said looking up at the ceiling and maybe he was no longer talking only about her. Sakura gently pecked his chest.

“How is your experiment going? Or should I mentally prepare to deal with you becoming an Uchiha?” Orochimaru actually chuckled at that and Sakura was pleased to hear it.

“Their blood is necessary to reach the full potential of Sharingan.”

“Is it?”

“Is it not?”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Rinnegan a higher form of Sharingan?”

“Yes, it is said so.”

“Well, I highly doubt that our boy Nagato is an Uchiha.”

“Hmmm, no he is not,” she could almost see the wheels in the snake's head turning.

“Either way, if blood is the only thing you need, why not to include Uchiha cells into your cloning project?”

“No, that does not work…” he exhaled as if he already tried.

“So you want to tell me that there is a thing that the great Legendary Snake Sannin cannot do? I do not believe that.”

“I…”

“You can resurrect the dead, Orochi! You can take their souls, and bend them to your will. You can clone yourself no doubt. There is nothing you cannot do,” Sakura said, looking straight at the man's eyes with burning flames in hers.

She was honestly offended by his hesitation! Sakura knew he could make clones for a fact. The bastard even dragged her soul across dimensions! Of course, he could do such a minor thing as blend a couple of different cells into one body. That sounded easy compared to everything else the snake already did and will do in the future.

Orochimaru’s eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed at her, hands tightly wrapped around her bare waist now.

“What?” she questioned, unsure about the silence.

“Ah, the passion in which you speak is a true inspiration,” he said after a pause and Sakura guessed that there was something else on the tip of his tongue, that the man suppressed. Maybe he became suspicious of her finally?

“I speak only facts,” she said nonchalantly resting her head back on the spot she found before. The deep rumbling of his chuckle sent pleasant vibrations all over her body. She felt warm and fuzzy. For some reason, she felt happier hearing him laugh. It was rather odd, but probably not too surprising. She wouldn’t be that happy if Orochimaru was enraged, Sakura guessed closing her eyes once more for a short nap.

━━━━━━━━━━

Twelve hours later Sakura was back in Amegakure. She was positively charged and almost buzzing with energy. Her little meetings with Orochimaru sure seemed to have a rejuvenating property for Sakura.

The woman hummed a melody as she walked into her laboratory determined to continue ~~procrastinating on her main project~~ working on her severed head.

“What is your secret?” she whispered to the murky dead eyes. The only thing she could do is to review her initial diagnostics.

No dojutsu she could detect. Nothing unusual in the blood. No unusual marks in the chakra coils. She did find that this person previously had a strong earth chakra affinity. And that’s about it. She whined with mild frustration and took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself down again.

“You are just a regular fucking shinobi with a basic earth chakra! So how in hell could you control metal? It is not earth!!” she yelled out as if the head would answer her.

What is metal? It is just an element purified from… earth… An invisible lightbulb sparked over Sakura’s head.

“Holly fucking Hashirama…” she gasped aloud looking at the corpse with wide eyes. “I would kiss you if well… you weren’t a necrotizing piece of meat,” Sakura giggled as her frustration melted away.

Maybe it was her luck that Sakura’s second dominant affinity was earth. Or maybe it was destiny. The more she considered the idea, the more it made sense. She already skipped water jutsu and jumped on its bastardized version of blood jutsu. So why not do the same with earth? Fuck mood. She will bend metal!

The possibilities in her head were endless. Metal was everywhere in the shinobi world. From their weapons, kunai, senbon, swords, to such simple things as fucking metal plates on their fuckin g headbands! 

A maniacal laugh could no longer be suppressed and it echoed in the silent room. Quickly she pulled herself together, eyes blazing, Sakura looked around. Where to even start?

Considering her blood jutsu development, Sakura decided to start from a rock. Locating metallic particles inside of it. When she could sense it, she could wield it to her will.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Aww, Wolfy-sama, I see you look well,” the woman before him grinned. Nagato always considered him being able to read people pretty well, yet this kunoichi often puzzled his head.

“I am well. Better than I have been in years, thanks to you.”

“Ohh, is that a compliment? My my, how could I possibly repay you?” her eyes twinkled with mischief. Nagato already learned what _that_ gaze meant.

“No,” he chastised her to stop her from continuing her train of thought. Sakura pouted, crossing her arms.

“As you wish, _Wolfy-kun_ ,” he frowned on the prefix she switched to. If it were anyone else, he would consider it as disrespect. Yet somehow, hearing Sakura say it, was… acceptable.

“As you may already know, each member of Akatsuki is assigned a tailed beast to capture. A quota to complete.”

“I’m getting a tailed beast?!” she eagerly chirped and Nagato nodded.

“Three tails. Kisame and Itachi will assist you in capturing the beast.”

“Sounds dandy! But why them, if I may ask?”

“Do you have a problem with them?”

“Well no… Kisame is cool… but Itachi, well he’s an _Uchiha_ ,” her voice was clear with distaste.

“And?”

“They are arrogant! Stubborn and so annoying! As for Itachi, he is such a booooore. A true workaholic with a voice that could bore a thousand ships into sinking themselves.”

Nagato was not buying the woman’s excuse. Maybe partially. But there was something else there. He already took note of Sakura actively avoiding Itachi.

“Well, then it’s a good thing you’re not a ship,” he deadpanned in response. Sakura blinked, obviously stunned, but shortly her expression changed into a burst of melodic laughter.

“Oh booooy! No one will ever believe me if I tell them that our Leader, Pain sama, made a joke,” she managed to say catching her breath.

“You are dismissed.”

“Oky doky! Say hi to Konan from me,” the woman sent a wink in his direction before leaving. Nagato allowed a blush to creep on his cheeks only after the door was closed. 

_Konan… His sweet Konan… Soon, I will see you again..._ he thought with a pleased expression coloring his face. The nights were no longer lonely and cold.

Sometimes, during those nights by her side, Nagato would start to wonder if he really needed the tailed beasts? He could just kill the kage and take power as Sakura suggested on more than one occasion. That would be an easier plan, to be fair. Something he never even entertained before.

As if his mind was clear after Sakura healed his body. Maybe she healed his mind too?

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura, being her curious and suspicious self, decided to test one other thing she had been working on for a while now.

Resurrection. She had worked carefully and in secret but there was just so much she could do without actually trying the technique herself. And where better to start than with summoning a dead friend of her leader.

She will be so dead if Nagato ever finds out about it…

Shit. It actually worked. Sakura stood frozen in shock looking at the undead form of none other than Yahiko. She remembered Orochimaru telling her in the past that the hardest part was always to locate the right soul and drag it to the land of the living. For Sakura, it turned out to be not as big of a challenge.

Maybe it was due to her connection with the land of the Dead or ravens in general, but when she concentrated hard enough she could see a gray string coming of the undead form infused with Yahiko’s DNA. Then, she simply pulled, and here he was. Looking at her confused.

They stood in the deepest part of her laboratory. A room sealed with such level that even gods could not sense what was happening inside. And if it was so safe due to seals she learned in her past from Naruto, Sakura didn’t bother to thank him.

“I should be dead…” the man said looking at his hands and then chest.

“You are dead,” she smirked.

“Explain,” his voice sounded a lot like the Pain’s she heard over the past months. Sakura giggled amused.

“I need information and then I will release you.”

“What do you want?” the man eyed her cloak obviously familiar with the meaning behind it.

“As you can see, I am in Akatsuki. I work for Nagato. And I was curious, how exactly did you die?”

The man sighed deeply and closed his eyes. She couldn’t tell if he was relieved to hear that Nagato is still alive or if he was not inclined to answer. 

“I killed myself. On Nagato’s kunai.”

Her eyes went wide as her mind raced. This had to be a juicy story. Drama. Trauma. Maybe that was the identifying quality for a person to be an Akatsuki? She urged him to elaborate.

━━━━━━━━━━

SO that went well, Sakura deducted after a few days seeing that Nagato had not killed her yet. Now she had another ‘toy’ to play with - making a collection of the dead that could fight her battles.

She now considered her official task of finding the tailed beast. The problem was - Itachi. Sakura really didn’t want to be distracted by Fugaku’s presence. Maybe she could reason with the man?

Taking a deep breath, Sakura rested on her bed in a meditative position. She closed her eyes and effortlessly detached her soul from the land of the living. She was now floating in the gray, blurry and windy inbetween.

After a moment of consideration, she decided to try a simple way first.

“Uchiha Fugaku!” she called for the man. Yet again, the most stupid and banal method worked as the said man appeared before her.

“Haruno. SO you finally decided to help?”

“NO! I am not some guardian angel of Itachi. I am not here to save you, him, or anyone else, I can barely save me…” she said a bit more than she wanted to, but what was said could not be taken back, so she continued to glare at the ghostly figure.

“And yet, here you are, speaking with me and keeping my son’s secrets.”

The damn man was right! Why didn’t she rat Itachi out to Nagato? Well, the only answer that came to mind - Tobi. She might not be able to stand against the bastard yet, but… Itachi definitely could.

She also full-heartedly denied that Itachi’s kindness to her and the gift he made early on had anything to do with swaying her mind.

“Listen, Sasuke should be fine as Orochimaru is losing interest in taking his body. That should be enough, right?”

“Ah, that is a relief sure. But I will not rest until the guilty pay for what happened to our clan.”

“Danzo?”

“Danzo.”

Sakura cursed loudly as she rubbed her own ghostly temples. That was another target she really didn't want to stand against. The creeps ominous words still echoed in her nightmares once in a while. 

“Fuck you Uchiha and your stupid eyes that everyone wants to steal…” she whined as Fugaku stood silent. Clearly intending to break her without even saying another word.

“I don’t promise anything!”

“And yet you are,” he smiled with half of his lift in a true Uchiha micro-expressions manner.

Puffing with anger Sakura turned around and returned to her body. Feeling the blood in her veins and the rain outside her windows, the woman exhaled heavily. She looked down at her palms lost in thought.

A little mark on her palm caught the woman’s eye. Strange, she thought, taking a closer look. SHe expected this little wound to be healed by now. She cut her palm a while ago and it had healed to this point before her soul left her body.

Honestly, Sakura thought it should have been fully healed by now… Unless… Unless her body doesn’t heal while she is out of her body… Interesting and alarming.

It could be extremely dangerous if her soul decides to disconnect and there is no one around to heal her body like that time back in Konoha. Taking note of this crucial part of her strange being, Sakura sighed again.

 _I wish I could sleep by Orochimaru’s side right now…_ she thought unintentionally letting her mind wander about the snake and what he was doing at the moment. Some part of her strangely missed the man’s company, she came to realize still very much oblivious to the simmering feelings deep in her heart.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little note. My inspiration for the whole 'inbetween' concept is taken from how Aang from AtLA communicates with the dead. Plus a mix of the same idea from a movie "The Lovely Bones". It is actually in that movie, that the ghost realm is called the 'inbetween' - "the In-Between, a place that's not more earth, but that's not still heaven".


	60. One Tails

Sakura slowly walked towards Pain’s office. She felt slightly groggy after her practice with metal wielding jutsu. So far, she noticed it was far harder than blood jutsu. And most importantly, the range was nowhere near what she would like. But she’s getting there.

As she walked down the hall, Sakura passed Sasori and Deidara. The puppet master said nothing to her even avoiding to look her in the eyes. A smirk appeared on her lips. He probably was mad that his old outer puppet shell was destroyed by her beyond repair. Now he walked in a different form of a tall man with dark hair and no mask. The only thing that remained, was the creepy metal tail.

Deidara on the other hand smiled cheerfully at her but did not stop to chat. Interesting. That could only mean that the pair was on a mission. Interesting…

“Wolfy-sama!” she greeted cheerfully the orange-haired figure standing by the window. He didn’t turn to greet her yet, so Sakura made herself comfortable on one of the chairs in front of his desk.

“Saku, you are familiar with Gaara the Kazekage of the Sand?” a cold voice said. She arched one delicate eyebrow.

“Yes?”

“Is he a friend of yours?”

Damn Kakuzu! The greedy old snitch! She cursed mentally on the immortal man. Somehow he probably figured to whom she sent the message that day.

“Yes?” she decided that it would not be wise to lie. By the lack of metal rods going her way, Sakura deducted that her decision was right.

“You do know he is a jinchuriki that we will capture and kill?”

“And?” now Pain did turn around to look at her with his pensive gaze.

“So you will have no issues killing him?”

“Well, I don’t think I personally could beat him in a fight easily,” Sakura contemplated looking away from Pain into the white ceiling. “But I guess, I could come up with something. Although I am not a fan of being in Sand. Too dry for me,” she continued to ponder a possible strategy.

“So you would capture him if I ordered you to?”

“Of course! I am here to serve you, Wolfy-sama,” Sakura smiled widely with girly excitement in her voice. It was easy for her to say that as she had no doubt that old Chiyo would still bring Gaara back to life.

“Hmmm, so you have no reservations in killing a friend?”

She couldn’t tell where Pain was going with this. Was he doubting her? Or testing her loyalty? What Sakura could tell, was that she was now walking a thin line.

“Wolfy-kuuun! I already told you that I think we should just go and kill all the kage, that does include Gaara. I don’t understand why everyone is so hung up about that whole friend concept. We are shinobi first and foremost. The mission comes first above all,” she shrugged.

The man hummed as he returned to his seat behind the desk.

“Is there anyone you wouldn’t kill despite your mission?”

“Hmmmm, probably not, cannot really think of anyone,” she answered a blatant lie. With the question almost instantly a pale face with two golden eyes came to her mind. 

“I thought Konoha nin prided themselves on bonds with their friends?”

“Pftt,” she huffed with sarcasm shifting uncomfortably in her seat. “Yeah, until you do something unacceptable and then as if there were no bonds in the first place,” she muttered bitterly. Yes, this topic still stung her heart as she recalled the angry look on Shikamaru’s face.

“I see,” Pain observed her without blinking and Sakura was not a fan of that, but she couldn’t really complain. “Konoha hurt you that badly?”

She shifted again, fully concentrated on the raindrops on the window glass. At the moment, she would rather be stabbed than talk about the Leaf and its shinobi.

“Saku. Look me in the eyes,” reluctantly she obeyed and turned her emerald eyes straight to the rinnegan. “I want you to tell me exactly what happened to you in Konoha.”

It felt like her body was drained from the blood. She almost shivered from the request. No way she could tell him… Most importantly, Sakura was pretty sure that Pain already knew everything that there was to know about her.

“No…” she said barely audibly. His eyes were rather hypnotic so she couldn’t even look away.

“Saku, that’s an order.”

“Please no…” she whispered and right away was disgusted by the weakness in her own voice.

“You will tell me everything that happened with you in Konoha and that is final,” Pain was not budging with the same imperceptible stern expression on his un-dead face.

“I…” she couldn’t find the words or even the place to start with. Actually, she never said out loud what others were so quick to deduct about her past. Sakura never considered herself a victim. Maybe, in reality, she never even accepted what happened. It just happened. Like a fact or a passage in a book. And she moved on from it without looking back.

But now, Pain was twisting her neck to look back and face it. She didn’t want to. Sakura was very close to shunshin’ing away from the office.

“I… was punished for disobeying…” her clever mind found a loophole and said what made the most sense and was not a lie.

“By the Hokage?”

“No…” she meekly said.

“By whom then?”

“My… father...”

“What. Did. He. Do.” Pain asked without showing a single ounce of emotion and Sakura couldn’t even imagine what he would think if she told him. Will Pain kick her out of Akatsuki for being so weak? Will he look with pity at her? No, definitely not. At least that.

“He… used me… to let his frustrations out…” another loophole for her to avoid the R word. Or the M word. Or the A word. No, she did not accept that that was what happened. She was just a tool to be used by others, that is what Sakura strongly believed.

“He beat you?”

“Yes,” that she answered confidently, but it was a mistake. It was a telltale sign to Pain about there being more to the story.

“What else?”

“...”

“Saku, are you disobeying my orders?”

“No, Leader-sama,” she answered as her mind continued to slip in a haze. Right, this was an order. Nothing more. Sakura swallowed air as her mouth was dry. Right, this was just like any other report. Her mind closed off all emotions into a small little box. She enabled an autopilot and her mouth just worked without her even thinking too much as she talked. “When I was five was the first time my father slept with me.”

Defining silence was cut by a sharp thunder and lightning coming from outside.

“Continue,” Pain said after a moment as they held the intense eye contact. So Sakura did. She told briefly about the events that followed, devoid of any feeling in her tone.

It was almost like Sakura checked out of the whole conversation that lasted for about an hour. Pain listened to her in silence. Never once did she say the word ‘rape’ or ‘abuse’ or ‘molested’. Even now she could not voice it. Sakura shut her mouth finally, waiting for the verdict. She was ready to take off her ring and leave.

“Hmmm. Sasori and Deidara are on their way to capture One Tails. I want you, Saku, to follow them and wait near the extraction location. In case they run into trouble, as I am sure Konoha will interfere, I want you to make sure Deidara and Sasori complete their mission and return home.”

Sakura blinked. The change of topic was sudden, but not unwelcome. Maybe Pain was giving her another chance to prove herself? She nodded and left without saying another word or funny remark. The thunder could still be heard rummaging outside.

━━━━━━━━━━

It didn’t take long for Sakura to get into position. She looked at the painfully familiar cave. Considering that Neji and Kakashi were likely to be here, she didn’t want to risk it and stay too close to the location or the sealing tags.

Vaguely she recalled that Kakashi's dogs would be sniffing around too. _Troublesome_. Picking a spot in a high tree, Sakura perched on a thick branch before summoning three ravens.

“I need one of you to watch the cave. And can either of the two hide me from Byakugan eyes and dog nose?”

The sound that came from Mokuhi could only be summed up as a cackle. 

“ **KRA! Do not insult us, pinky! The only thing those scum will see or smell will be three ravens perched on a branch! KRA!** ”

Sakura smirked and relaxed a bit. One of the ravens took flight, the other two took place on her shoulders. Their dark and fluffy chakra engulfed her completely. She closed her eyes and started meditating. The wait begins. 

In what felt like a few hours, Sakura heard a whisper from a raven on her left shoulder.

“ **Akatsuki entered the cave,** ” the bird reported, and surely in a minute, she felt Pains pull coming from the ring. She formed hand signs and the next moment her eyes opened, she found herself standing in a holographic form on the same pinkie finger of the beast statue.

“BITCH! Why the fuck are you covered in feathers???” the unmistakable sound of Hidan’s voice made her and everyone else's eyes dart to her form. She held a hand in front of her face and indeed there were long feathers like an aura around her.

“Don’t ask,” she muttered nonchalantly. Itachi was the only one who looked at her with mild amusement in his eyes. While Kisame and Deidara giggled. 

“Let us begin. It will take at least three days and nights to extract the one tails,” Pain cut any possible remarks Hidan still wanted to throw her way.

So the jutsu was activated and Gaara’s screams echoed all around them as the beast's chakra started to flow from his body. Another instance where she closed any feeling or emotion away. _Gaara will be fine. He will be even better. He will be able to sleep… He…_ she kept repeating the little mantra in her head. 

Not sure how much time passed, when Konan spoke up.

“Leaf shinobi are closing in,” she said.

“Kisame, you are the closest and with the most chakra from all the members. Use _that_ jutsu. But I will still need some of your chakra for the extraction,” Pain ordered. Sakura wondered if Nagato was just this good of a strategist to predict things like this or did he have something else up his sleeve…

Not even a few hours passed when Konan spoke again.

“Another team is approaching from Suna direction. Also Konoha shinobi.”

“Itachi. I leave them up to you,” without another word Uchiha also disappeared even though Hidan tried to protest as he itched to shed blood.

Doing this for the second time, Sakura found it easier on her chakra coils. Now she knew what to expect and could act accordingly producing chakra with medical accuracy. 

In a while, the ruthless pair returned in their holographic form. 

“Little fish,” Kisame smirked. “Only one of them was worthwhile. This crazy beast with a green spandex suit, I kid you not,” Sakura smirked involuntarily, but not too sure why exactly.

“That is Might Guy. He is a strong opponent,” Itachi added, leaning on his knowledge of Konoha.

“Who did you face, Itachi-san?” Pain asked.

“Hatake Kakashi. Hyuga Hinata. An elder from Suna, by the name of Chiyo. And there was also the nine tails jinchuriki.”

Somewhere in the corner, Sakura picked up on Sasori's muffled voice. _Have fun, dollface…_ she snickered internally. _And good for you Hinata…_ she also thought about the young heiress. So she was the new star pupil of the Hokage.

Any other day, such a team could potentially beat Sasori like she once did. The only problem was that Sasori already learned and adapted to fighting with Tsunade’s trademark strength opponent by sparring with Sakura. Plus, his new puppet was higher level too.

Suddenly the woman noticed movement on the statue. The last time she was so out of it by the end, that she neglected to note it. This time, however, Sakura was stronger, her mind sharper. She saw a third eye of the beast open. Slowly a dark pupil appeared as the last bits of the one tails entered its mouth. 

So, three beasts were now officially captured.

Every member of Akatsuki let down their hands from the jutsu they were holding. Sakura watched as Gaara’s lifeless body dropped to the floor. 

“Oh, I hear banging, uhn!” Deidara smiled wildly.

“Take care of the shinobi,” Pain ordered. His eyes stopped momentarily on Saku. He didn’t have to tell her twice of the side mission she had. Then the man vanished. Slowly each member disappeared one by one. Sakura did too, not interested in the conversation between Deidara and Itachi.

As the pink-haired kunoichi opened her eyes, she glanced at the ravens that still sat on her shoulders.

“Thank you. I will need your assistance for a bit longer, will you manage?”

“ **KRA! Sure thing, birdy,** ” Mokuhi replied pecking at her hair.

“Please tell your pair to follow Kakashi Hatake and Naruto when they split up from the group,” she told the bird on her left shoulder. Some things, like Naruto being obsessed over his friends, never change, she was sure of that at least.

Carefully cracking her shoulders from the stiffness of sitting in one place for three days, Sakura stood up and looked into the distance. She could not approach while Kakashi was there. No matter how good her ravens were at what they did, she had a feeling that her former sensei would still somehow sniff her out. She waited.

“ **They have split up,** ” the raven finally announced.

Sakura inhaled preparing herself and leaped forward. So far, it didn’t look like any of the byakugan users noticed her presence yet. They both were occupied.

With the same stealth she used to get into Root HQ, Sakura finally entered the cave where a battle was already in full swing. She perched on a ledge near the ceiling and watched.

Oh, Sasori was in trouble, she could hardly hold down her laughter. Maybe he was ready for the inhumane strength and Chiyo. What he wasn’t prepared for was an angry and determined Hinata, who easily threw his chakra strings with her dojutsu.

She watched without interfering as seeing the redhead’s butt being kicked was one of her hobbies by now. She wondered if Sasori could pull through in the end or will she be his knight in shining armor. 

_Ah, sneaky little shit._ Sakura watched as Sasori switched with one of his puppets and unnoticed inched to the exit. Maybe a year ago, he would never stoop so low to bail from a fight. Yet, Sakura was proud to note that their spars taught another thing to the stubborn old man. Pick your battles. Know when you will lose and flee to come fighting another day.

Sakura was also about to leave before the whole cave collapsed. Looks like Pain worried in vain. Now she wondered if Deidara was fine… The blond concerned her more. Although, she was also aware of his cleverness and perseverance. 

Sneaking away, Sakura caught sight of Hinata and Chiyo still alive despite the cuts and bruises and poison. They would be fine too, for now, so Gaara will be alive again. The thought of seeing Kazekage again was a relief.

“Deidara, you better be in one piece,” she whispered, leaping away from the cave at great speed.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear, Akatsuki is like one big group therapy for Saku and I live for it ;D


	61. Friends & Foes

Sakura dashed over trees and branches, aware that Hinata would shortly recover and look straight ahead with her damn eyes. While in front of her still doomed the presence of Kakashi. The woman felt sandwiched between two unpleasant outcomes.

“This won’t work,” she muttered, stopping in a forest. Somewhere in a distance loud bangs and blasts still echoed.

“ **Haruno-san, there is something of interest a hundred meters to the north from you,** ” one of the birds on her shoulder croaked.

Without hesitation, she ran in that direction, but she found only more of the same forest. Carefully she looked around - nothing. Then she used her senses and located a collection of blood. Approaching it with caution, Sakura found the _peculiar_ thing. Deidara’s arm with a ring glimmering in the sun.

She cursed harshly after picking up the appendage. Sakura was about to run towards the distant fight but stopped in her tracks. It was too late. She sensed Hinata and Chiyo quickly closing in. If she moved now, she would be spotted, so without another choice at hand, Sakura returned to the shadows.

After a deep calming exhale, the woman sat on the mossy ground with her legs crossed. Deidara will be fine, right? Calming herself down fully, she closed her eyes and started to think. It would be too troublesome to face an enraged Naruto, Kakashi, Hinata, Chiyo, AND Guy's whole team. Another deep exhale.

Welp. The only logical solution was to stay put and wait. There was another idea that bothered her mind too. With practiced ease, Sakura disconnected her soul from her physical body and allowed herself to float towards her goal.

Shortly she found herself standing on a dried desert plain. There was a small boy hunched over and clenching his head. Sakura approached him with caution.

“Gaara,” she spoke softly touching his ghostly shoulder. The boy raised his red head of hair and looked at her with wide eyes.

“Who…”

“You are Sabaku no Gaara. The Kazekage of Sunagakure.”

He looked so innocent and lost. Long minutes passed before she noticed a glimpse of realization in his eyes.

“You… Haruno… I remember you…”

“Yes, we met on a couple of occasions,” she smiled lightly sitting on the ground next to him.

“No! I remember you from the cave!” he jumped up as his eyes looked over her Akatsuki cloak.

“Yes, you are right,” she felt a tad of guilt creep into her chest, but there was no time or place for weakness now. “I… I am sorry, Gaara, but it had to be done.”

“You… you killed me…” he whispered. The smart boy was catching up quickly, but yet again he was lost looking around the emptiness.

“Where are we?” he asked.

“In between the world of Living and the world of the Dead.”

“Are you dead?”

“No.”

“Then… how?”

“It does not matter. What is important, that you will be alive again. And that you are not alone. You will never be alone again, Gaara.”

“...” he didn’t believe her and she couldn’t blame the boy.

With a sigh, she stood up and turned to leave.

“Wait! Why are you here?”

Sakura stopped for a moment and glanced back at him giving Kazekage one last gentle smile.

“Why am I here? I guess I wanted to make sure you knew that _you_ are not the monster here. People have your back and they value you. I hope you will do great things for Suna. I believe in you,” with those parting words she vanished on her way making sure to shoo away a few gloomy ravens who already were on the way to lead Gaara’s soul to rest. She just wanted to make sure that he lived. At least that much she could do.

Her eyes fluttered open to be assaulted by the harsh evening sun. There was the loudest bang she ever felt in the distance. Time to get back to her mission. She released her summons and took off.

Careful on her way, Sakura went over the forest scanning ahead with caution. She breathed with relief when Deidara’s chakra came into her range. The woman smiled wickedly as she waved at him with his own severed arm.

“Saku! What are you doing here, uhn?”

“Lost something?” she snickered and the blond rolled his eyes as he approached her. Shit. He didn’t have his second arm either.

“Yeah yeah, let's get out of here until they realized that my suicide was a diversion,” he scoffed still eyeing her with suspicion.

“Hey! Don’t look at me like that! Wolfy-sama sensed that connection with your ring was lost and send me over to check what the fuck happened,” Sakura lied with ease.

“Uhn, yeah, I’m fine.”

“I can see that,” she scoffed sarcastically as they both now walked towards _home_.

“They killed master Sasori,” he remarked now looking ahead.

“Aww, are you sad to lose your slave driver?”

“Pft! Just surprised that the old man was beat up by two pesky girls. AUCH,” he yelped as she playfully hit him in the ribs for the sexist comment.

“Who are you calling old, brat?” a light and melodic voice grabbed their attention as they noticed a redhead and eternally young Sasori stare at them. The contrast to his usually grouchy low voice was stark. Sakura laughed with mirth.

“The geezer bailed to save his ass the last second,” she explained to Deidara.

A pleasant banter continued the whole journey back to Ame. It was nice. Even though both of the men beside her barely survived their encounters. Still, Sakura was glad they did. The thought of them being dead wasn’t a pleasant one.

━━━━━━━━━━

Tsunade stepped out of Kakashi’s hospital room with silent curses under her breath. Damn suicidal bastard always overdid it and then she was the one who had to heal him back to life. At least no one else got severely injured.

She was filled with pride to hear that her apprentice stood up against an Akatsuki member and beat him! At first, she seriously hesitated to teach Hinata, as her timid nature looked hopeless.

...

“Hinata, why do you even want to train under me?”

“I-I… I want to bring Saku back! I-I want to help Naruto to bring Sasuke back. But I cannot do that being as weak as I currently am. I don’t want to be a burden anymore,” there was a real will of fire burning in the timid girl's eyes.

“Alright. Hinata Hyuga. If you are to be my apprentice, remember this - you bow before no one!” so their training began. No matter how hard she pushed, the girl would stand up and continue to fight. She never once complained or opposed. A truly well-trained shinobi she was.

...

“Tsunade-sama! I have a message for you,” a small slug spoke from her desk as she entered her office.

“Well?” the blond eagerly encouraged her summon to continue as she activated the highest security seals in her office.

“I have delivered your message to Orochimaru-sama.”

“AND?” she was growing impatient. Yet, considering that her slug was still alive, she had hope.

“He agreed to meet you.”

That was what she expected to hear, but Tsunade was still shocked. To think that it was that easy to get Orochimaru’s attention… well, it might go terribly wrong. Quickly her worries were brushed aside as she reminded herself that Jiraiya will be there too. Two against one odds were in her favor.

But just to put her mind more at ease, Tsunade grabbed a lottery ticket from one of the drawers and scratched it. No prize. That’s a good sign. She exhaled easier.

Hokage released the privacy seals and called for two ANBU agents who appeared before her in a blink of an eye.

“Summon Shizune and Jiraiya here at once!” she gave an order.

“Yes, Hokage-sama,” both agents bowed before vanishing into thin air.

━━━━━━━━━━

In only three days Tsunade was already traveling to the border of the Fire Nation. Jiraiya was on her right for once silent. The atmosphere was tense as they both mentally prepared for a battle.

Shizune was not thrilled about her Hokage traveling somewhere alone, but it was not a matter for discussion. The village was left under her care with young Nara as a close second. Over the years the lazy brat exceeded any expectations and became the most invaluable part of her team. Trusted and, for once, smart advisor. Despite his young age, Tsunade had complete confidence in the young Nara.

“Do you think it’s a trap?” Jiraiya broke the silence as they neared the meeting point. 

“With Orochimaru? Who knows really. Probably depends on his mood if anything.”

“Hmm, that is true. I haven’t talked with him in years.”

“Me too.”

“Did you know?”

“Hmm? What?”

“About sensei’s orders to Orochimaru?”

Tsunade frowned and almost let out a whine escape her lips. The perv was referring to the details that came to light during her inauguration.

“No. I didn’t fucking know, that he was yet another scapegoat of Hiruzen’s,” she said over gritted teeth. The mere thought of her old sensei disgusted the woman.

“But… you could pardon him, right? You are the Hokage.”

“That’s not how it works, Jiraiya…”

“But he is our teammate! Fuck, we cannot just give up on him after knowing what actually happened!”

Now Tsunade did whine audibly. Her former teammate sounded just like Naruto. No wonder the two got along so well. Or maybe Naruto rubbed off on him after the years of training together.

“He is beyond helping.”

“How do you know that?”

“He took our shinobi to be his next vessel, Jiraiya!”

The gray-haired man fell silent. This was an impossible decision with no good outcome. Either they save an innocent child or their former teammate. There was no in-between.

In half an hour their pace slowed as they got closer to a big clear field. The wind sent ripples down the lush grass. Her and Jiraiya walked as one from behind the trees. Orochimaru was already waiting for them, sat on a stone in the center of the clearing with his chin propped on his palm.

As they stopped ten meters away, silence fell over the area. Although, some bird and tree rustling could still be heard in the distance.

Tsunade eyed the snake carefully. He didn’t look tense nor did she notice Sharingan instead of his golden eyes, so Sasuke was still alive... most likely.

“Orochimaru,” she greeted him without blinking and staying on high alert the whole time.

To her surprise, he yawned in response. She almost expected a sword to appear and launch at her from his open mouth.

“Whatttt do you want, Tssssunade?” Orochimaru asked in a calm velvety voice that was nowhere near what she remembered. When her mind went back, she could only recall the cold and cruelty ever-present in each and every word snake uttered. But not today. This was odd.

“Are you in a hurry?” Jiraiya smirked with his arms crossed over his wide chest.

The man only snickered in response. _Odd_. Very odd. Her eyes narrowed desperately looking for any signs of deception.

“Cat got your tongue?” she remarked partially still baffled by the lack of talking Orochimaru did. He was usually the one to run his mouth. Silver tongue, sometimes people would call him. Another snicker came from Orochimaru’s direction as the snake closed his eyes.

“That’ssss exactly what _ssssensei_ said before I cut his head off.”

Of course, that was what amused the twisted man. Not for a second did she allow herself to relax.

“Orochimaru. I will say it once and only once,” Tsunade began to speak taking note of Orochimaru’s lazy gaze. “Give back Uchiha. I will not allow you to…” before she could even finish, the snake interrupted her.

“Sure. You can havvvve him.”

Tsunade stood frozen with her mouth still open. This wasn’t right. This didn’t sound right.

“Wait a minute! That’s it???” Jiraiya yelled, snapping back from the shocking state faster than she.

“Well, he doesssn't want to go back, but if you think you can change hissss mind, go right ahead. It'll be amussssing to watch,” Orochimaru had a sly smile stretch his features. Now that was something more normal to see in Tsunade’s eyes.

“What did you do to the boy?” she asked with suspicion.

“Nothing you are thinking about, Tsunade. I ssssimply trained him a bit,” the man shrugged.

“Isn’t he your next vessel?” Jiraiya added with clear disgust in his words.

“Not anymore,” a simple, short, and sweet answer. The damn snake wasn’t giving them anything to go on! The baster was hiding something and Tsunade wanted to know exactly what was it.

“Then who?”

“No one.”

Both her and Jiraiya blinked furiously in disbelief. Orochimaru scoffed, stretching in the spot he was sitting in. That made them both flinch back. Orochimaru chuckled, covering his mouth with one hand.

“Sssso jumpy,” he remarked amused, and sighed. “Vessssssels are just so _disposable_ and temporary. I am looking for a more permanent and superrrrior solution,” he said with snake-like eyes looking over the pair standing before him.

“Alright…” Tsunade muttered completely lost. This was not what she expected. There had to be more. Something she was missing from this picture. 

“I will leave Sassssuke-kun in one of my hideouts. You are welcome to come and take him,” Orochimaru said now standing up. He elegantly jumped from the stone and turned to leave. Tsunade was speechless.

“Wait!” Jiraiya yelled out, making the snake stop in his tracks and turn around.

“I will ssssend you the location when it is decided,” Orochimaru waved his hand as if that was what the toad sannin wanted.

“NO! I mean, yes! But!”

“Hmm? Use ssssentences, Jiraiya,” Orochimaru smirked.

“I saw you with Haruno! She is an Akatsuki now, right? What is your business with them?”

That made Orochimaru turn fully at his former teammates. He hummed with a blank expression on his pale face.

“I am awarrrre you were watching us, Jiraiya. Peeping assss always. Did you enjoy the view?” maybe because they were teammates for so long, or maybe due to the contrast with previously spoken words, but Tsunade caught on to a light threat in Orochimaru’s voice. She cursed mentally. Over the commotion with Kazekage being kidnapped, she forgot to push Jiraiya to tell her all the details of what he witnessed. Looks like that was a mistake. Her eyes darted to Jiraiya who was silent and blushing.

“Answer his question, Orochimaru!” she pushed instead.

“I have no bussssiness with Akatsuki,” snake answered dryly while his eyes still bore into silent toad sannin.

“Then what is your business with Haruno? What is she plotting??” Tsunade was relentless. She needed answers.

“Perssssonal. And none of your business, sssso go back to spouting about Sassssuke.”

She gaped once again at her former teammate. _Personal. PERSONAL? WHAT THE FUCK???_. There was only one thing that came to mind.

“IS she your next vessel?” Tsunade asked to confirm her suspicion. Instantly the snake’s eyes snapped to her and there was disgust clear in them.

“ **No,** ” his voice was stern and insulted. Tsunade blinked furiously as she tried to comprehend what this all could mean to Konoha. She desperately looked at Jiraiya.

“Then what is it? Are you using her? Just what do you want to achieve with her?” she asked once more.

Orochimaru turned his head up at the sky as it looked like he was considering his next words. The man's features softened as he was lost in thought.

“Oh, Jiraiya can tell you exxxxactly how I am using her. Although, I must asssssure you, that it is by all means reciprocated and mutual. I am _ussssing_ her no more than she is _usssing_ me,” for some reason, Tsunade guessed that ‘use’ was not the right word in this context.

Before she could ask for him to elaborate, the man was gone. No attack. No deception. It didn’t feel like they won. Like they achieved something. Of course, it could not be considered a ‘win’ yet until Orochimaru’s promise to return the boy was fulfilled.

“Jiraiya…” she whispered trying to control the anger in her voice.

“Listen, Tsuna, there is really nothing worth noting!” the man instinctively raised his hands in defense.

“You _will_ tell me _exactly_ what you saw!” she yelled out leaping in the man's direction with a raised fist.

“Please no!”

“JIRAIYA!”

A fight broke out in this field after all. The ground cracked, the trees fell. Nothing could stop an enraged slug princess from getting her answers.

━━━━━━━━━━


	62. The Spy

“Sooo, Deidara, are you upset?”

“Hmm?”

Sakura waved his hand as they approached the barrier of rain with Sasori a couple of feet ahead of them. She guessed that the puppet master was eager to hide in yet another puppet shell.

“Oh, well, I am alive so it will be fine,” the blond shrugged.

“No, not about that. I mean, you won’t be doing any _hand_ jobs for a while,” she snickered unapologetically.

“Fuck off, Saku.”

“Hey hey! Don’t be so rude!! Hey, maybe you need a _hand_ with that?”

“I swear! One more stupid joke and I will bite your neck, UHN!”

“Oh, is that a yes?”

“Screw you!”

“Come now, I’ll fix you right up. Though you are taking it pretty well so far, I have to _hand_ it to you…”

And that is how Deidara chased Saku right back into their hideout tower. Was she deflecting depressing thoughts and stress with humor? Yes. Was she concerned about that? No.

Unfortunately, before she could even start the healing process, Pain summoned her upstairs. She stepped inside his office still engulfed by blissful ignorance.

“Deidara and Sasori are back home, Wolfy-kun!” she reported cheerfully.

“Hmm. Good. How are you, Saku?”

“Err… fine?”

“You are okay with Gaara’s death?”

“What? Did you expect for the sun to go out? Towers to crumble? Sky to explode? Yes, a man is dead, but that is the life of a shinobi,” she shrugged nonchalantly.

“I see. Well, in fact, Gaara is alive again,” he tried to gouge a reaction from the woman, but she stood calm and silent like a monk.

“Cool.”

“You are not surprised?”

“Considering the fact that I am now speaking with a dead body, no, I am not that surprised.”

“I see. You are dismissed. And oh, Saku, good job.”

She gave the man a brilliant smile before she left. Her heart was relieved by the news even though Sakura hid it well.

━━━━━━━━━━

Orochimaru returned to his hideout with a mind buzzing from the conversation he just had. It was a spur of the moment decision, but deep down he knew that the thought plagued his brain for weeks. Saku was right, he didn’t need Uchiha, only a bit of him.

The man made his way deeper into the hideout and was welcomed by Kabuto standing in the corridor.

“Lord Orochimaru, you have returned.”

“Obviousssly,” he snarled with a smirk.

“I still don’t understand why you had to go alone. Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama could have been… a problem,” the snake rolled his eyes. Honestly, sometimes Kabuto’s clinginess bordered on obsession.

“So… what did they want?”

“You disappoint me, Kabuto. You sssshhhhould have already guessed yourself.”

“Uchiha.”

“Mmm,” he only muttered in confirmation. 

“Well, they surely couldn’t expect you just simply to return the nuisance…”

“I agreed to give himmmm back.”

Kabuto stopped in his tracks with a shocked expression on his face. Orochimaru snickered with amusement. Ah, so naive they all were to assume they knew his next steps.

“But, Lord Orochimaru, who will be your next vessel then?” the boy quickly recovered as they continued to walk down the corridor into the depths of his underground lair.

“There _will be no_ next vesssssel.”

“It’s _her_ doing! Isn’t it?” Kabuto snarled with unmasked aversion. Although it was too obvious, so, the snake guessed that Kabuto’s true feelings towards his Saku were different than he led on.

“Hmmm, I could deny, but ssssshhhe was rather adamant that the idea of me being in Sassssuke’s body was downright repulsive,” Orochimaru kept walking fully ignoring ‘stealthily’ hidden Sasuke who only dared to step forward when sannin was good ten meters away.

The boy stopped next to the frozen Kabuto with a blank expression.

“Did he... really just say he’s decided to pass me because Haruno didn’t want to have sex with him in my body?”

“Hmph,” Kabuto puffed with determination lightly peppered on his usually snarky face. He hurried his walk to catch up with the sannin.

“Lord Orochimaru, this is a mistake. Or are you actually considering using Saku as your next vessel?” instantly, four-eyes regretted his remark as Orochimaru sent a deadly glare his way. The man didn’t say anything as he continued to walk, but Kabuto caught on a whispered mumble.

“...Kabuto too? Dissssgusting. Oh, I _will_ put ssssomething of mine in my Saku...”

“Lord Orochimaru, she is corrupting you and ruining our goals!”

In less than a blink of an eye, sannin was by Kabuto with a hand harshly clasped over the man's throat. Golden eyes were burning with rage.

“Another worrrd and I will cut your head. Pressserve it in a jar and give it to my Saku as a decorrrration for her laboratory,” he sneered and Kabuto knew that it was no empty threat.

“There is a very tenderrrr relation between my anger and my patiencccceee, Kabuto,” he spoke through clenched teeth, finally letting the man go. Silver fox rubbed his throat with a green gloating hand. In a miracle, he managed not to choke audibly.

“And a very direct connection between your love and inspiration, Lord Orochimaru,” Kabuto dared to remark.

“What? Do not be ridiculoussss, Kabuto. I simply need her warm hand to cool me down, that issss all… and her soft voice to drown me out,” he muttered more to himself that last part as his eyes snapped again at Kabuto. “I need no love, only emptinessssss is to fill my soul,” he snarled, but if he were honest with himself, Orochimaru had a hard time keeping up the delusion to himself.

 _I may need a mystery by the name of Saku to make me whole…_ he wondered absentmindedly.

“So you are choosing _her_ over Uchiha?” Kabuto did not sound pleased, but he was not wrong and Orochimaru had to admit it against his own better judgment to say less.

“Kabuto, if I had to choosssse her or the sun I'd be one nocturnal ssssannin,” he blurted out without thinking it over and his mind still struggled to comprehend the stray thought that left his lips.

“Lord Orochimaru… you are in love,” Kabuto deducted as if they were observing a test subject. The pale man blinked and left without confirming or denying the statement. His mind was ringing with the phrase. Love… Love? No. That could not be it.

━━━━━━━━━━

“JIRAIYA!” Tsunade bellowed as her fist made contact with the ground where just a second ago was the toad sannin. “GET BACK YOU SUCKER!”

“Tsunade! Trust me, you don’t want to know!”

“Oh, I definitely do!” she sprinted and after a mild chase she tackled the man down to the grass. The field around them, as shattered as it was, finally rested in silence.

“What did you see?” she growled with honey-colored eyes sharply pinning the man in place.

“No! Please don't make me relive that!”

“Tell me or I'll crush your testicles,” she whispered as her hand rested directly on his crotch. Jiraiya gulped loudly. Partly from fear and partially from arousal.

“O-o-okay, but you won't believe me,” he stammered.

“Test me,” she snarled clutching the soft bundle in her hand harder. He winced.

“Orochimaru… he was eating her out…”

“...what…” she squeezed more.

“Auch! I swear! He was giving her a blowjob!”

“Bullshit!”

“It’s true! I wouldn't lie about something that disturbing!”

“Orochimaru has the sex drive of a rock!” she deadpanned.

“I swear on my porn - it’s true!” he was really serious. Tsunade’s eyes narrowed as she was still skeptical.

“And even if Orochimaru was sexually active, what utterly damaged human being would want him that way? You'd have to be all kinds of messed up to actually want him!”

“Well… didn’t you tell me yourself about Haruno’s history…”

Tsunade exhaled sharply and finally rolled off the man. Shit. He was right. Saku _was_ that utterly damaged person she spoke off.

“Shit,” she cursed, rubbing her temples.

“Yeah.. I know… I didn’t believe it at first too, but…”

“But what?” Tsunade turned sharply at him. Was there something else he was hiding?

“Well… _both_ of them clearly enjoyed it. And I am not talking about some mindless sex after a mission. No. They were acting all lovey-dovey. It was disturbing.”

“But you still watched,” she smirked as there was nothing else left but to laugh about the ridiculousness of the whole situation. Orochimaru… who are you? She wondered not recognizing her former teammate at all. Was he always like this? As far as she remembered, he was cold and blunt. Sharp like scalpels he wielded.

She glanced back at Jiraiya who didn’t respond. For the love of Hashirama! The toad was blushing and staring into the ground.

“OH, MY KAMI! WERE YOU JEALOUS OF OROCHI??!!??”

“No,” he puffed defensively. The man was too transparent for a world-class spy. She nudged him in the shoulder playfully.

“Well, at least if that’s the case for their meeting, we can be relieved that Orochimaru is not back with Akatsuki.”

“Hime… it’s not fair…”

“Hmm?” Tsunade arched her eyebrow staring closely at her friend.

“He always gets his way...”

“And you don’t?”

“I haven’t gotten you yet, so no…” his voice was barely audible, but she still caught the gentle words said in the twilight.

“Jiraiya...” she sighed standing up. The man never hid his feelings towards her, but she didn’t understand why he never gave up on her. No, she could never reciprocate the love toad felt for her. Her heart was long shattered and now a dark hole filled to the brim with sake.

She felt his big palm clasp onto her wrist.

“Tsuna… give me a chance…”

She sighed deeply. Maybe it was selfish of her to deny him for all these years. But there was yet to be a person who could make her do what she didn’t want to do. An image of Naruto came to her mind. The brat was an exception… Maybe Jiraiya could be too...

━━━━━━━━━━

Kabuto cursed under his breath and turned around in the other direction. He was angry. Frustrated. And a tad bit jealous, but he still tried to deny that part of him. This was _not_ going the way he planned it.

He was sure that the two would lose interest, but Orochimaru practically considered Saku as his possession by now. No, he didn’t miss how every time the woman was mentioned, the sannin would refer to her as ‘his’ Saku. 

A relieved sigh escaped Kabuto’s lips as he noticed Sasuke waiting by his room door. The man smirked going inside. The boy followed.

“Well, you heard it. Konoha wants you back and you are free to go if you want,” there was just a tad of bitterness laced in his words.

“No,” the broody boy stood with arms crossed and a scowl across his face. Kabuto snickered as he stepped closer. One hand cupped Sasuke’s chin.

“Hmmm, are you sure?”

“Yes,” the answer was stern. Sasuke laced his own fingers with Kabuto’s still resting on his cheek. Kabuto’s other hand now rested on the revealing chest of the young Uchiha.

“Hmmmm… goood,” the man whispered as he leaned in for a chastised kiss. Their lips touched gently at first but in no time passion took over. Their tongues intertwined in a feverish exchange.

Ah, this was yet another thing Kabuto didn’t plan on. At first, he only intended to tease Sasuke, but shortly he was the one looking for the boy, and here they were now. Sweaty and grunting in each other's embrace sharing yet another night full of rough sex. Soon after it turned into nights of cuddling and tender touches.

With ease, Sasuke pinned Kabuto to the bed and the medic enjoyed the dominant play. By now, Uchiha was far too strong for him to retaliate against, not like he wanted to either way. He allowed the boy's eager hands to roam his own body. It was pleasant. The closeness of another human being. And feeling a hard dick inside was also welcome.

He grunted with pleasure as Sasuke started to stroke the bulge inside of his pants. The boy was a quick study and remembered easily the best spots to drive Kabuto mad.

“Sasuke…” he whispered between heated moans.

“Kabuto...” a low and sultry voice responded with small gasps escaping Sasuke’s tense control. 

Kabuto was never picky whether it was female or male who shared his bed. He was a pragmatic man who appreciated beauty and power in all its forms. And as he could not get his hands on Saku, her former teammate proved to be a worthy replacement. 

Still, he hadn’t given up on the idea of pink-haired kunoichi in his grasp. No, he was patient and cunning. And a perfect opportunity presented itself. He might have been still bitter and angry with Lord Orochimaru, he might have been rash, but there was something pushing him to do what he did.

The silver-haired man stood cloaked on a bridge waiting for his former master. Sasori showed up just in time like they had agreed. The man looked different, but the new puppet didn’t phase medic too much. He did ask about it either. He liked to live, thank you very much.

“What do you have for me, Kabuto,” the man said without wasting any time. Kabuto noted the change in voice too. He could only wonder what was the real appearance of Sasori behind the puppet.

“Orochimaru-sama has a spy. In Akatsuki,” he said confidently. There was an intense pause.

“Whoooo?” Sasori growled. Now that was more like Sasori he knew.

“Haruno Saku.”

Two little words to force the woman out of hiding and straight into his arms. Sasori abruptly turned and left a satisfied Kabuto returning to the hideout. He was pleasantly buzzed with anticipation.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this might not be what you all signed up for, asked for, or wanted, but here it is either way 😂 SasuKabu is now a thing. And may I say, that their ship name is just the cutest 😊💕
> 
> Also, I heavily quote in this chapter a song: “Groove Armada - The Things That We Could Share”. Ever since I remembered it, it was just so fitting for this fic 💖


	63. Two Tails

“Team Kakashi, this is your next mission. You are to go to this hideout and retrieve Sasuke.”

“REALLY, baa-chan?” Naruto yelled out with excitement, eyes already blazing. Kakashi’s big hand landed on the boy's shoulder as to riel him back to reality.

“Hokage-sama, are we sure he will be there?” the copy-nin asked.

“There is no 100% guarantee, but it is very likely. My _source_ was pretty sure of it,” Tsunade eluded the question. Kakashi didn’t ask who the source was. He guessed it to be Jiraiya most likely.

“You leave tomorrow morning, now dismissed. Hatake, Tenzo, you stay,” she ordered and the blond rushed out to prepare closely followed by her apprentice Hinata.

“Hokage-sama,” two men left standing before her said in unison.

“It is likely to be a trap. Also, Sasuke most likely will not _want_ to leave. Your mission is to bring him back alive any means necessary.”

“Hokage-sama, who provided this intel?” Tenzo was the one to ask. The blond woman exhaled warily as she placed her chin on folded fingers before her.

“That is classified… but I have no reason as of the moment to doubt the intel.”

“Hmmm…” Kakashi murmured. He noticed Hokage's absence the last couple of days and presumably she left to meet the informant. And IF the leader herself went to do so, the informant had to be someone special.

“Either way, be on guard for traps. We also do not know how strong Sasuke has become. That is why I am sending both of you Kakashi and Tenzo. I trust you to bring everyone back.”

“Yes, Hokage-sama,” they both responded with a bow and finally left to prepare.

━━━━━━━━━━

The road to the land of Rice was not too long or dangerous as they traveled over the Land of Fire. Only after crossing the border did Hatake summon his hounds to scout ahead. In another four hours, they closed into their target.

There was no obvious entrance and Tenzo confirmed that the base was underground.

“Hinata, can you see below?” Kakashi asked as he released his hounds. The once timid heiress now nodded without hesitation and activated her byakugan. She looked around and scrunched her face with displeasure.

“The hideout is definitely there. I can see a structure, but it is protected by some seals so I cannot tell if there are people inside and how many,” there was no more stutter in her words. Tsunade’s tutelage surely allowed the girl to bloom into a strong and confident kunoichi.

Tenzo nodded as this was something to expect. With a couple of handsigns he manipulated the earth to open up for them. One by one they jumped into the darkness. They reached a clearly man-made wall.

“Alright! One Rasengan should take care of it!” Naruto exclaimed preparing to summon a clone for the jutsu.

“No, Naruto. We cannot alert anyone to our presence,” Kakashi intervened and gave a nod to Tenzo. The wood user found the weakest spot in the wall and carefully made a hole for them to infiltrate through.

Carefully they moved across the maze of corridors with no luck. Every room they entered was empty so far. No traps or guards anywhere. After maybe half an hour a strong vibration reached them. A clear sigh of a huge explosion.

They all looked at each other communicating without words. With new determination the four of them sprinted towards the sound. Turning a couple of corridors they felt a breeze and saw a bright light in the end. The epicenter of the ruckus.

Naruto clenched his fists and ran straight ahead.

“Naruto!” Kakashi tried to stop the boy but to no luck. There was a clear target in front of the blond eyes and there was no way of stopping him now. With an exhale they followed Naruto into an open room that no longer had a roof over it.

Naruto was standing almost in the middle looking up. A few meters next to him stood another unfamiliar boy, Kakashi noticed. He was tall, pale like death, and with ink-black hair. He was also looking up. Copy nin followed their gaze to the figure standing on the top of the cliff.

“SASUKE!” Naruto yelled. Indeed that was his student. The hair and face were unmistakable as he looked over the Konoha shinobi with an emotionless expression.

“Naruto. What do you want,” Sasuke snarled unbothered.

“We came to take you back home, teme!”

“No. I don’t know why do you even bother.”

“But… our bond..”

“You see I have a different bond now... It’s the bond of hatred. Having too many ties in this world will only lead you astray. It weakens one ambition,” Sasuke talked with a monk's calm, but there was that little veil of anger in there that the Uchiha could not fully suppress.”

Naruto looked with wide eyes at the boy he chased for so long. He couldn’t believe it for once. The other dark-haired boy watched the exchange in silence, but his unblinking and calculated gaze told far more. Who was he, Kakashi wondered.

“That day...Why didn't you kill me?! Sasuke!!!”

Sasuke didn’t indulge Naruto’s frustrated yell and questions. With abnormal speed the boy suddenly appeared right in front of Naruto, one hand placed on the blond shoulder.

“Come to think of it, you have been constantly following me around all these years, wasting your time. For all the time you wasted chasing after me, it could have been better spent training. Wouldn't you agree?”

Naruto said nothing obviously shocked either by the statement or his friend’s speed.

“He’ll take your body, Sasuke! It’s Orochimaru, he’s just using you...” the blond finally answered with pleading in his voice to get some reason into Sasuke’s skull.

“ _If_ it happens it happens, so be it…”

If? Kakashi scrunched his eyes suspiciously. He couldn’t shake the bad feeling that something was off here. There was something he was missing. Suddenly, Sasuke drew his weapon and was about to stab Naruto, when the dark-haired boy blocked the attack.

“That was a correct block,” Sasuke retored as if a sensei giving comment to his student.

In another blink of an eye, the dark-haired stranger and Naruto were both pushed to different directions by electric chakra Sasuke emitted from his entire body. Kakashi was ready to restrain him when Sasuke leaped away back on his cliff.

Uchiha raised his hand as if preparing for another attack when suddenly Kabuto grabbed his wrist. Kakashi almost growled upon seeing the four eyes.

“That is enough, Sasuke. We need them alive to kill some Akatsuki for us,” Kabuto said with a sly grin on his face.

“Sasuke! Come home with us,” Kakashi tried, but it was clear that the boy was on a whole nother league by now. He might be even stronger than him now. The other concerning thing was the lack of Orochimaru’s presence.

“It's not as simple as giving him back. Really, your way off here. Sasuke came to us of his own accord. You can't dwell on the past like this. It's unbecoming of a man,” Kabuto chuckled.

“I have no home,” Sasuke said and the both of them vanished in a flurry of flames.

“Tenzo!” with a single word Kakashi communicated clearly with his comrade who understood everything clearly. Would branches appeared from the ground and entangled over the dark-haired boy.

“Who are you?” Kakashi asked, looking down at the boy. He had no fear or any emotion in his eyes.

“My name is Sai.”

━━━━━━━━━━

Tsunade exhaled with frustration.

“I know they look alike, but that is not Sasuke,” she deadpanned, glaring at two jonin's standing before her.

“Looks like he was sent by Danzo to capture Sasuke or kill him. Presumably for his Sharingan,” Kakashi explained what they found out after questioning the boy who now rested in the depths of T&I.

“I see… and Sasuke?”

“He refused to go. It looks like he is still determined to hunt down Danzo himself, Hokage-sama.”

“Damn foolish and stubborn… Ach, what about Orochimaru?”

“Well, he was not there, Hokage-sama,” Tenzo added carefully. It was strange. They all expected to find the sannin looking over the boy, yet Tsunade didn’t share their feelings. On the contrary, she nodded as if that was what she expected.

“Well, despite your mission being a failure, you did bring someone for us to interrogate. We might just find something out and get Sasuke that way,” she exhaled again.

“Hokage-sama, that source of yours, he was right. But how could they know where to find Orochimaru’s hideout? There were no indicators of it unless you knew exactly where to look,” Kakashi asked carefully.

“Well, I trust Orochimaru knows very well, where his hideouts are located,” she answered bitterly as her gaze looked outside of the big windows facing the village. Kakashi blinked.

“I may have heard you wrong… but are you saying that Orochimaru himself told you where to find Sasuke?” it didn’t make any sense in the copy nin's mind, yet it would explain why Tsunade herself went to meet the source.

“He did. Looks like he no longer intends to take Sasuke as his next vessel and his information being true and without ambush just confirms it.”

“What?” Kakashi blinked furiously with his one visible eye. It also would explain the strange remark Sasuke made, but there had to be more there… 

“Kakashi, don’t try to understand Orochimaru’s ways. He acts on a whim and it is far too easy to misunderstand his actions,” she said, still lost in thought, clearly speaking from her own experience. Hatake couldn’t deny it. He too was misled by what was publicly said about the snake. It only came to light about the reasons behind Orochimaru’s actions when Konoha’s secrets were exposed.

“You are dismissed now. I trust you two to help Naruto as he should realize by now the lack of skill he still possesses.”

“Yes, Hokage-sama,” both men bowed before disappearing in a swirl of smoke and leaves. Let the training commence.

━━━━━━━━━━

It took Sakura far too long to her liking to locate the damn Two Tails. After long research hours, she finally dug out the history of the beast and its current home - The Land of Lightning.

Together with Hidan and Kakuzu she now made a loop towards their goal. Finding the jinchuriki turned out to be far easier now that they knew where to look. Everyone knew of the Kumo shinobi with the great power of the beast.

They located the woman by the name of Yugito and followed her around until she was alone. It would not go well if Raikage decided to intervene. So they acted fast and calculated. As much as that was possible with Hidan in their team.

The chase led them underground. The four stood in silence before Hidan spoke up.

“I do hate to go against my lord’s commands, but I will have to leave you alive!” He bellowed with a manic grin. Sakura exhaled. This was _her_ target and she did not appreciate Hidan meddling with it.

There was no time to really think over it, as the entrances to the cave exploded at once effectively trapping them all inside. Yugito shortly transformed into her full beast form exploding everything around her. Sakura cursed under her breath as her fist obliterated a huge chunk of land dropping on top of her.

“How annoying,” the woman muttered. It was a shame that jinchuriki had a way of healing any effects done by her blood jutsu, rendering the technique useless against them. The only other option left was brute force.

That Sakura had plenty off. Her frustration melted with the joy of breaking mountains. She missed the colossal damage she could inflict on things. Time to get loose, she snickered, leaping towards the beast.

After a grueling battle, Sakura stood by Kakuzu’s side looking at Yugito’s limp form impaled by long metal rods.

“Pinky, did Leader-sama teach you his technique?” the masked man asked, eyeing her handy work.

“Nop,” she snickered, satisfied with the effects of her new metal manipulation technique. 

“Your welcome,” Hidan croaked, still sprawled on the ground in the middle of his ritualistic circle.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” she waved him off, earning another curious glance from Kakuzu. Suddenly paper fluttered in the air and Konan took form next to them.

“I will take the beast from here. Return to your task,” she ordered Kakuzu. Sakura was a bit disappointed but did not object. Hunting bounties was not that bad as she and Kakuzu made a deadly combo bringing the organization more than enough funds.

━━━━━━━━━━

Seven villages they have raided so far. Sakura wondered what exactly Kakuzu was looking for, but didn’t question him too much. All comes at the right time. For now, she enjoyed the smell of blood and the bright sun kissing her pale face.

They were now climbing a steep mountain path and Hidan didn’t once stop complaining about it.

“For FUCKS sake! MORE STAIRS!”

“Grh…” Kakuzu growled.

“You know, Kakuzu, my man, when I get annoyed, I get mad. And when I get mad I lose my temper. And when that happens, oh you don’t…”

“SHUT. UP,” Kakuzu finally broke his silence and sent a deadly stare towards his teammate.

“Ah, such love between you, I don’t know how you do it Kakuzu,” Sakura snickered. She didn’t hear him answer as a form of a huge temple came into view.

“This doesn’t look like a place where a jinchuriki would be…” Hidan murmured.

“No, it is not…” Sakura agreed.

And of course, there was no tailed beast in this temple. But there was one pricey bounty for taking. As the trio left with a dead body swung over Kakuzu’s shoulder, what was left behind was simply put - a bloody massacre. Hidan got to let out his frustration and apiece his bloodthirsty god, while Sakura stood on the sidelines watching.

They were in the Land of Fire now. She felt dread and excitement all at once. Any minute a shinobi from the Leaf could cross their path. Logically, the woman knew that sooner or later she would have to face _them_. But better later or even never.

After a while, they reached a shabby looking collections office.

“Saku, what the fuck are you doing? This is a men’s bathroom!” Hidan proclaimed oblivious to what was hiding behind the walls of the inconspicuously looking place. She rolled her eyes.

“Pft, I have bigger balls than you.”

Hidan gasped ready to shoot something back at her when Kakuzu opened the secret door taking the attention of Jashinist away from her. Sakura followed the two men inside. 

“This fuckin stinks! I’ll be outside,” Hidan couldn’t take even five minutes there and left. Sakura chuckled. Honestly, this wasn’t _that_ bad. Some days her lab had a stench worse than this.

She lazily watched as Kakuzu counted each bill until the man closed the suitcase securely.

“Thank you for your business, Kakuzu-san,” the mediator bowed with respect.

“Hmm. Let’s go,” he turned to Sakura. She was about to nod and prance behind the man when something crossed her mind.

“Oh, you go first, I want to update my bingo book,” Kakuzu gave her a nod with understanding. He didn’t question her as he left. Of course, he would be the one to understand the importance of a well kept and up to date bingo book. 

So that is exactly what she did. Slowly her empty pages got a new addition and some former faces were crossed out.

“Thank you,” she waved at the mediator for the help and left. As her steps got closer to the entrance, the woman heard signs of battle. Her heart dropped to her feet. She stopped in place and carefully extended her senses.

At least four extra hearts besides Kakuzu and Hidan. She had a bad feeling. It was confirmed when Sakura stepped closer to the exit. 

“ASUMA!!!”

Shikamaru’s voice cut her like a scalpel. Sakura inhaled again and stepped into the light, emotions carefully locked deep inside of her. Face calm. No mask on her face and only her cloak dancing in the wind.

“That is enough, Hidan,” she said, cutting over the noise like a burning knife over butter. Everyone turned their eyes to her. That was as much as she allowed with her blood jutsu activated.

Asuma was on the ground, obviously injured. Hidan was back in his ritualistic circle with a rod inches away from his heart. Kakuzu was holding two Konoha nin in his grasp. Shikamaru was standing behind them. Stopped in a running motion.

As their eyes met, she read a wast change of emotions in them. Schock. Relief. Sadness. Anger. Disbelief. Thankfully, he couldn’t talk. Sakura wasn’t sure if she could handle that right now. If she could stay as composed if Shikamaru spoke…

“Saku! What the fuck? I almost had this heathen to share the pain of death together with me!” Hidan complained. His hands even shook a bit, that’s how hard he tried to go against her control. All in vain, of course.

“Trust me, Hidan, you don’t want to kill that one,” she spoke slowly as her feet made step after step towards Shikamaru. She was not about to cower and avert her gaze. “If you kill that one, hmmm, what’s the word, Shikamaru? Ahh, yes, troublesome. It would be very troublesome,” she spoke.

“What do you mean?” she could always trust Kakuzu to be the reasonable one.

“Ah, you see, this one here,” she pointed at Shikamaru,” is a Nara. And that is his sensei. If you kill him, you can be sure that this boy will hunt you down and kill you. Yes, Hidan, he would kill you,” she cut Hidan’s bubbling laughter with a sharp glance.

“Trust me, Hidan, he would find a way to chop you into the smallest pieces and bury you ten feet under. And then leave you to die eventually where no one would ever find you. It would be wise not to provoke a Nara,” as she spoke, Sakura’s eyes returned to rest on the shocked Shikamaru.

“Then let’s kill the boy!” Hidan eagerly suggested.

“Hmmm. That would be wiser. But. With him, Konoha at least has a fighting chance.”

“So what?”

“Well, what fun would it be if the Leaf would not provide a challenge?” a wicked smirk graced her lips as she imagined just how easy Konoha could fall to their knees without Nara’s mind to guide them. Indeed, that would be too easy. No, Sakura did not want to win easily. She wanted to show her dominance by fighting them head-on. Full force. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Hidan was about to say something more when he loudly whined. She heard it too. The leader was calling for them to join the sealing of the two tails. Sakura ignored the mild banter between Kakuzu and Hidan as she continued to stare at Shikamaru.

Two of her comrades leaped away as her blood jutsu was no longer affecting the two. Sakura leaned closer to Shikamaru’s ear.

“We shall meet again, Shikamaru. I am curious to see what strategy you will come up with. I will leave you now to live out your miserable and meaningless life.”

Her words felt shallow. There were not enough of them in all continents to express the anger and hurt she still carried over Shikamaru’s past actions. He managed to hurt her like no blade or jutsu ever could.

Vaguely she recalled how in her past life Asuma would have died right here. She might just kill him now to make a point, but honestly, Sakura wanted to face Shikamaru again with his mind clear and not clouded with grief.

Maybe if she killed Ino or Choji her point would go across better? Yes, Sakura decided to give Shikamaru an advantage of knowledge. She was sure that Konoha would chase after them soon. Right after they regroup.

And she will be waiting.

Sakura stood next to Kakuzu and Hidan. They didn’t speak another word and disappeared in a poof of smoke. Her blood jutsu lost its effect making all remaining Leaf shinobi drop to the ground. Shikamaru was shaking violently.

━━━━━━━━━━


	64. Chemical Reaction

“What the fuck was that all about, pinky?? I almost had them!”

“Trust me, Hidan, he would have killed you if you did. He still might.”

“He didn’t look all that special.”

“He isn’t. But he’s smart…”

“I lost a bounty…” Kakuzu grumbled far less angry than Sakura expected him to be.

“He wasn’t worth it…”

“But, now they know of you being Akatsuki.”

“About time.”

“Hmm, they will go after us.”

“Yes they will, that’s exactly what I expect them to do.”

“So this was your plan all along? You want to fight them?” Kakuzu yet again showed the knowledge and overall smarts he possessed.

“Yes. I want to crush them properly. And then leave them alive so they could wallow in misery over their own weakness,” there was a palpable rage in her voice.

“Ohhh someone’s bloodthirsty! Is it that time of the month again?” Hidan chuckled.

“They still trust you,” Kakuzu remarked.

“Well, their trust is about to get a major ass fuckin,” Hidan appreciated her statement with boisterous laughter.

“When they come after us, leave them to me,” Sakura finally said as they stopped on top of a rock. Both men hummed with their own thoughts circling in their immortal little heads. They sat down weaving handsigns. As the first raindrops fell from the gray sky, they were gone into the mind space alongside other Akatsuki members.

━━━━━━━━━━

Shikamaru was still shaking on all fours when Ino and Choji landed by his side.

“ASUMA! CHECK ON HIM!” he croaked out to Ino, who was about to check on his state. For Kami’s sake, he was not the one bleeding out!

“He’s injured, but… he’ll be fine!” the boy heard a distant voice of his former teammate. With relief, Shikamaru took another breath. Asuma was going to be fine. He was going to be fine.

Young Nara stood up with his legs shaking. Eyes quickly zeroed in on Ino’s green healing hands over his sensei. The boy was sure that if not for Saku, the man, his _sensei_ would have been dead. And there was nothing he could do! NOTHING.

Saku. His mind quickly reeled in the image of her pale face and dead emerald eyes… _What happened to you_ he wondered, but not too long until only a single painful though remained - it is all my fault…

━━━━━━━━━━

The trip back to Konoha was silent and quick. They made haste to ensure Asuma would be delivered to the hospital as soon as possible. Ino and Choji took the man straight there, while Shikamaru went to the Hokage tower.

“Hokage-sama!” he barged in at the same time as the woman said ‘enter’. His eyes were blazing with determination. 

“Report!”

“We encountered Akatsuki at the collection's center as predicted. We fought, but the enemy turned out to be immortal…”

“WHAT?” Shikamaru didn't let Tsunade continue that thought as he proceeded to the worst part of his report.

“Saku Haruno was with them. Wearing an Akatsuki cloak. Therefore, we can assume that she is now part of Akatsuki.”

There was silence. What concerned Shikamaru the most was the lack of reaction from the Hokage. His eyes narrowed with suspicion.

“ _You kneeew??!!?_ ” Shikamaru stepped back in shock. The lack of denial and a heavy sigh from Tsunade only proved to confirm his statement. With fists clenched until his knuckles were white, Shikamaru tried to keep his voice calm as he spoke again. “How. Long.”

“Cut it out, Nara. I had intel, but it was not confirmed. Until now,” she deadpanned.

“We have to get her back!”

“Shikamaru, Haruno is now part of Akatsuki. The organization that is actively hunting down Naruto!”

“So it is fine to chase after the traitor Uchiha, but not Saku???” his control was quickly slipping. 

“I did not say that,” she exhaled once more, but Shikamaru was not pleased with the lack of decision making on the Hokage’s part.

“Hokage-sama! Please allow me to gather up a team and go after them! They are bound to still be in the Land of Fire,” it was clear from his eyes, that a negative answer was not acceptable.

“First things first, Nara. I will wait for your detailed report with all the intel you gather on the enemy during your fight. Then, and only then, I will consider your request. Now, dismissed.”

It was a clear end to this conversation. Shikamaru gave a curt nod before shunshin’ing away. Only back at the Nara compound did Shikamaru take a breath. He exhaled deeply, closing his eyes and placing his hands into his trademark sign.

One immortal enemy. Another one with unknown abilities. And Saku… A beast of power and knowledge beyond anything he could imagine. Her presence alone was enough to restrain EVERYONE in the near vicinity.

He could not do it alone. He needed someone strong on his team. After another moment spent deep in thought, Shikamaru opened his eyes. This was his chance to make it right. To bring Saku back. To… apologize to her.

The man quickly stood up and went on a hunt for the few people he had in mind for this task. A few that could rival Saku and her immortal companions. Someone who could break a mind control that the girl was obviously under. There was no other logical explanation.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Team Shikamaru! Your mission is to kill the Akatsuki and apprehend Saku Haruno. _Any_ means necessary,” Tsunade's golden eyes stopped on each member of the team stood in front of her.

Shikamaru Nara. Kakashi Hatake. Shino Aburame. Ino Yamanaka. All except for the blond were jonin rank. Nothing less would be acceptable for such a tall task. Hell, Ino was there only because of her medic training as Hinata would come with the supporting team…

“Yes, Hokage-sama!” they all said as one.

━━━━━━━━━━

Kakashi felt uneasy. That moment, when Shikamaru approached him… Even his Ichi Ichi book fell to the ground from shock of the news he received. His dear student… The one he failed the most… was now in Akatsuki. The man naturally blamed himself.

And it was his fault. If he only tried harder… If he did… **something**!

“Are you sure about the plan?” Shino asked as the four of them leaped over the trees.

“Yes,” Shikamaru answered dryly.

“BUT! What if she uses that freaky paralysis technique again?” Ino asked with clear concern in her voice.

“She won’t.”

“What makes you say that, Shikamaru?” Kakashi asked curiously. He thought he knew his student. He was wrong of course. Now it looked like Nara knew something he didn't.

“She left us alive for a reason. She wants to fight us so much, that she gave me the advantage. The time to analyze and plan for a strategy… She said so herself.”

“Hmmm,” Kakashi wondered if that was true. If it was… then maybe… just maybe his student could still be saved from the path she took.

They continued in silence. After a while, they stopped for Ino to activate her technique of Mind Transfer into a bird. It worked like a charm. Kakashi didn’t expect anything less from the genius plan.

They found Akatsuki.

Kunai flew through the air forcing their targets to jump back and scatter. Shikamaru was quick to activate his shadow technique, while Kakashi carefully watched with his sharingan. His presence was concealed. He was about to pierce one Akatsuki by the name Kakuzu, when suddenly _she_ appeared before him.

Saku. Emerald eyes looked straight at him. Her hand was quick to grasp his wrist and the next moment Kakashi found himself flung through the air. He landed on his feet and silence took over the field.

“Well, well, well! So the heathens return!” the silver-haired man cackled. Kakashi couldn’t take more time looking at his student as Hidan attacked them with a deadly scythe trying to get even the smallest shred of blood from them. 

Saku stared right back at him. He wanted to say something, but his mouth suddenly felt dry. What could he say? Even Sasuke didn’t listen… so why would Saku?

Shikamaru was right. She looked dead in her eyes… It felt like he had seen her bare face for the first time. An onslaught of memories dared to resurface. The horrors he had witnessed through her own eyes. Kakashi dutifully pulled those thoughts to the back of his mind.

“Maaa, pinky, you’re lookin’ swell,” he said sarcastically.

“OY! Don’t you call her that!” Hidan spat with anger as he launched towards Kakashi. Interesting, he thought dodging the sharp blades swung his way. Saku didn’t answer as she watched them.

From what he had heard, she would have no trouble subduing all of them. Yet, Shikamaru was right. It didn’t look like she was about to do it. She leveled the playing field so they would have a chance. There was still hope.

“Oh no, you don’t! You’re facing me now!” he heard Shikamaru yell. From the corner of his eye, Kakashi noticed Hidan getting caught in the shadow technique. The first stage - a success. The two, now connected, ran away as one.

He looked back at Saku and noticed her sigh. It looked like she muttered something along the lines of ‘idiot’. The next moment she was already making hand signs. His sharingan spun rapidly reading her moves. It was…

“SUMMONING!” he heard her voice. So strong and emotionless. A lot like Sasuke’s… Then there was a big poof of smoke and a huge bird appeared.

It looked like a human-sized crow? Blue feathers glimmered in the sun. The beast had huge claws. That bound to be troublesome. Kakashi now expected to defend himself and the rest of the team, but the bird took flight instead. 

“Shit…” Kakashi muttered, noticing the bird's trajectory. It went after Hidan and Shikamaru.

“Kakashi Hatake. The Copy Nin of Konoha,” Kakuzu said calmly, taking the man’s attention back to the pair who stood before them. “I will take your heart and then get the bounty for your head.”

Well, that didn’t sound good. He couldn't dwell too long on the dread as the Akatsuki attacked him head-on. Leaving Shino to face Saku.

━━━━━━━━━━

It all went surprisingly exactly as Shikamaru had predicted. Shino could no longer doubt the strategy that Nara presented to them.

“Saku-san.”

“Shino-san.”

They greeted each other like honorable warriors facing one other in a duel. In his heart, Aburame could feel that neither wanted to fight another. And yet, there was no other way.

Shino’s goal was to drain her chakra. SImple. To render her incapable of fighting back. Of course, he had no idea just how much chakra was needed for her paralysis technique. Maybe if he knew, he would have scrapped the plan right away. Yet, he didn’t.

Kikai flew from his collar and sleeves towards Saku. She didn’t dodge and allowed to be covered by the beetles. That had to be the first sign of his failure.

Suddenly, the man noticed the number of his beetles decreasing. He narrowed his eyes trying to see what exactly was happening.

“Western ravens,” he whispered, spotting two birds on either of Saku’s shoulders. The birds were quickly eating the bugs. Shino managed to call back only a handful of kikai. He also noticed Saku’s chakra quickly recovering. That was not normal and yet it was happening right before his eyes.

Loud bangs echoed not far from them. Kakashi was in a tedious ninjutsu battle with the other Akatsuki member. 

“You’ve gotten stronger, Shino.”

“So have you.”

“Good for you. I had no doubt in you.”

This was wrong. To fight a comrade. A friend. But he had to do something. At this moment Shino fully understood the vigorous attempts Naruto made in bringing his teammates back. Shino gave a nod of thanks and acknowledgment.

So their long-range fight continued. Shino now targeted the birds but had no luck penetrating their feathers. These were no ordinary ravens. Saku watched him attack, avoiding each strike of kikai only halfheartedly.

The pointless battle was cut short when a scream echoed over the field. Shino and Saku both turned to see Kakashi on the ground with strange tendrils attached to his chest. Then a loud yell disrupted their shock.

“RASENGAN!”

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura exhaled with minor relief as she leaped back to stand by Kakuzu’s side. She noticed that two masks on the man’s chest were now shattered.

“Aww, getting sloppy, old man,” she chuckled with the corner of her eye still watching over the Konoha shinobi. Tenzo and Hinata landed by either side of Shino. 

“He is worth the bounty on his head,” Kazku rasped.

“Mmhmm. Kakuzu, please do not interfere from now on. Better go and check on Hidan. I will take care of them.”

Kakuzu now fully stared at her. His mask hiding any shreds of emotion the man could have.

“There’s six of them.”

“Yes. I know how to count.”

“Hmm. Will you kill them?”

“No. Just teach them a lesson.”

The man grumbled something inaudible but disappeared in a poof of smoke eventually. Sakura inhaled deeply and turned to the six sets of eyes that were now focused on her.

“Saku…” it was almost as faint as a whisper. Naruto’s voice sounded pained.

“Yo,” she sarcastically greeted him with one raised hand. Her eyes noticed how others flinched from the action fully expecting her to attack.

“I don’t know what happened to you… but I _will_ save you, believe it!”

“I don’t need saving, Naruto.” _You are not my fucking guarding angel!_ she added in her mind. 

The boy yelled out a war cry as he pushed with a chakra enhanced jump towards her. Mid-air, the blond created shadow clones to attack her in a barrage of kicks and fists.

Sakura dodged with minimal effort. The boy was still weak in her eyes. This was nothing compared to fighting Kisame or Itachi. He didn’t learn anything. But she will make him understand…

A painfully familiar high pitched sound reached her ears. Ah… _that_ attack.

“RASENSHURIKEN!”

She prepared to counter, but the jutsu fizzled out of existence before reaching her. Sakura noticed that Tenzo and Ino had left to aid Shikamaru. Shit. She will have to wrap this up soon.

“Naruto! We have to attack together!” Kakashi yelled out.

“Sensei, please, I have to do this alone.”

Stupid. How incredibly naive and stuck up Naruto was, she had almost forgotten about this. Well, he will pay dearly for not accepting the help.

Naruto made another bunch of clones and ran to attack her. Sakura quickly got rid of them with chakra enhanced flicks of her fingers.

Then there was only a single Naruto left. Going towards her at a rapid speed. He couldn’t stop even if he wanted to. Sakura’s hands started to glow green as she activated her chakra scalpels. She wouldn’t run or dodge. No, she will face him head-on.

In a quick succession of accurate moves, Sakura grabbed Naruto’s wrist, which held the dreadful ball of wind nature chakra. It disappeared in an instant her chakra scalpel cut the coils in his arm. Her other green hand went straight to Naruto’s heart.

Effortlessly she cut through his jumpsuit, skin, muscle, and bones. Her hand now grasped the rapidly beating heart of a jinchuriki. Naruto coughed up blood.

“This is no chidori by all means, but it gets the job done don’t you think, Kakashi?” she said mockingly watching the horror spread over her sensei’s face. Naruto fell to his knees with her hand still deeply impaling his chest.

“Naruto, you should have accepted the help. As it comes now, you are still too weak to face me. This was and always will be your biggest mistake - disregarding your teammates and fighting alone,” she said sparing no cruelty to her words. 

Naruto’s big blue eyes stared at her in disbelief. She almost felt guilty about the rough wake-up call she just gave the boy. But he had no chance to survive if he continued to act this way.

“Maaa, Naruto, was that your new amazing technique? Honestly, I expected you to throw it or something with the name like that,” she continued to speak as no one else dared to move or utter a single sound.

“Honestly, you should forget about it. This technique will only hurt you in the end. If you use it again, your chakra coils will be completely severed and you will no longer be able to make any jutsu,” she stated the facts as they were. Of course, this was the information she knew from her past life. But they didn’t have to know that.

A wet flopping sound rang through the silence as she extracted her hand from Naruto’s chest. She made sure not to damage any arteries. She wanted him to live with the scar and the realization of his utter helplessness.

“What a laughable attempt. Naruto, you should just stay where you are, groveling at my feet.”

That was it. Her final snap at the infuriating boy she once tried to consider as her friend. Sink or swim. This was the moment to crumble or survive. She will leave it up to Naruto to choose what to do next.

Without sparing another word or glance at her former comrades, Sakura disappeared in a burst of black feathers leaving nothing but an empty space and a pool of blood behind.

━━━━━━━━━━

Orochimaru frantically skimmed over yet another book. _You have a biological desire to have sex - it's caused by hormonal changes that happen inside your body…_ The sannin scoffed.

“What, ammmm I, some teenager swayed by horrrrmones? Nonsense!”

_With men, a lot of this is driven by testosterone. In women, the processes of sexual drive are a little more complex…_

“Testosterrrrone? Yessss… that might be it...” he considered his own biological structure almost expecting for the exact levels of his hormones to show up in a tidy graph inside his mind.

_...increased activity in certain parts of your brain before sex, specifically, the limbic system…_

“Pffft! I have no emotionsssss to trigger!”

 _...In women, the vaginal walls start to lubricate and the clitoris and surrounding tissue starts to swell…_ it might say ‘women’ in the book, but Orochimaru instantly thought of Saku and her ever slick and dripping entrance. So tempting… he licked his lips.

_....Depending on how rigorous the sex, your pulse, blood pressure, and breathing will continue to increase. Dopamine and epinephrine continue to rise during sex, and, as you get closer to climax, the muscles throughout your body may start to tense up due to changes in your cerebellum…_

“Rigorous sssssex? Hmmm… maybe if done thoroughly enough I could get it all out of my sssssystem? System overload? That ssssurely would do the trrrrick…” the man thought aloud as his eyes continued to skim over the text.

_...Oxytocin balances this out, leaving you feeling content, relaxed, and sociable…_

“AHA! So oxytocin issss the one to blame!” Orochimaru grinned in a victorious manner as he closed the book. Yes. It was all just a basic chemical reaction and the snake was content into having full control over every part of his body. Down to molecular level. 

Now to test his theory… Far more urgently, Orochimaru summoned a snake and sent it away with a message. He continued to write off his excitement to simply being intrigued about proving the books and his body wrong. 

Love? What nonsense! It was pure science and he was determined to prove it with meticulous intercourse. Sure, he could get another subject to test it with… but that thought quickly alluded his mind.

After all, the longer you spend with the person, the strong the _bond_ becomes. In his case, if the snake would overcome this… this reaction within his body with Saku, he could say it 100% being anything but a pathetic feeling of love...

━━━━━━━━━━


	65. and His Heart Grew Three Sizes

She took a deep breath and mentally sized up her reserves. Akatsuki spent three days sealing the tailed beast. That made the biggest dent taking almost 130% of her chakra. Thankfully, each sealing session allowed her to improve in chakra multiplication.

Besides that, Sakura had to summon Riku to keep that idiot Hidan alive. With the help of the huge bird, even the immortal imbecile would not find a way to fall into Shikamaru’s trap. Hopefully.

And to top it all up, she faced chakra eating Shino, followed by Naruto. They were far from her skills-wise, but they were not weak either. Truth be told, upon seeing the bug master, Sakura felt dread in her chest. Fighting him without her blood jutsu technique would be incredibly hard. Fortunately, her summons yet again came in handy - protecting her from kikai.

Naruto. Stupid. Naive. Stuck up. Naruto. He was taller. He was just a tiny bit less loud. And yet nothing changed. He still was oblivious to everyone around him and their feelings. Sakura had to admit that his new Rasenshuriken was fast and deadly, but only if it made contact.

Chakra enhanced muscles allowed her to avoid the blond's attacks leaving her reserves sparse. Even if it felt good to hold Naruto’s life in her palm, Sakura ended up regretting her actions. Because of the medical scalpel technique, her chakra reserves were almost completely drained by now.

Sakura sprinted ahead towards the sounds of a battle. Shit. Those two idiots never really acknowledged that even they could be slain. And how could she help them now? _Still so weak…_ she berated herself. 

Shortly four figures came into view. Hidan was securely stabbed to a thick tree by Riku’s claws. Effectively keeping the Jashin’ist in one place. Alive. In one piece. Sakura exhaled as her eyes darted towards the other two.

Shikamaru was leaping back to avoid Kakuzu’s tendrils. Young Nara looked exhausted, with sweat heavily dripping down his forehead. It would have been fine, if not for a tree that blocked his escape. Shikamaru was trapped, with his back resting on the thick bark. Kakuzu was closing in quickly.

Without giving it another thought, Sakura acted on some kind of old instinct. Her body moved on its own and now stood before Nara taking the sharp piercing metal rod to her chest instead of his.

A moment of silence engulfed everything around them until Sakura spoke.

“I. Told. You. To. Leave. Them. To. Me,” she glanced back towards Kakuzu. He grumbled something inaudible with annoyance clear in his tone. Just a flick of his wrist made the tendrils retract with a slushy sound and spraying droplets of her blood all around. Overall, the man wasn’t too concerned. This was not the first time he stabbed her.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru barely could stand with his shaking legs. His eyes were so wide... They reminded her of deer. Sakura exhaled and crossed her arms over her chest in a typical ‘Saku’ manner.

“You learned nothing,” she commented without hiding her disappointment.

“Saku… why?” his helpless big dark eyes darted towards her chest where a gaping hole still bled out.

“Because,” she stepped closer, eyes pinning the boy in place, like a predator cornering its prey. “If someone _will_ kill you, that _someone_ will be me.”

“Saku…” hearing him say her name… it brought fresh pain back to her mind. Like prodding an almost barely healed wound. The pain made her cringe. Pathetic. She felt pathetic and weak.

Sakura couldn’t stand this anymore. She turned away from Shikamaru fully intending to take her leave.

“I’m sorry…”

The bastard! He had the **nerve** to apologise to her?! Who does he think he is?? This was the same as yelling out loud what a weak and pitiful girl she was. Her head quickly snapped back with a loud crack. Eyes blazing.

“What.” She spat out at him, eyes slowly narrowing and killing intent thickly filling the air between them.

“Saku, I don’t expect you to forgive me… but I am sorry! I was… _am_ still stupid. Please… just come back with me,” his voice tried to sound strong but ended up shivering right by the end.

Sakura didn’t blink as she listened to him speak. _Now_ he’s sorry? She stepped even closer and leaned her head to his ear. Her hand clasped over his other shoulder so that the man could not pull away.

“Shikamaru…” she whispered to his ear. “ _I cannot be friends with someone like you._ ”

Yes. That one little line never left her mind. Maybe it subsided over her time away from Konoha, but it was never gone. Sakura was fully convinced of the truth behind his words. Why would he be friends with someone like her? A traitor? A psycho? A weakling? A… slut…?

No, he would not. Young Nara only needed to be reminded of it. So she did. Venomous as her words were, Sakura said them without hesitation. Her breath lingered on his neck as she seriously contemplated snapping him in half.

She decided against it. Shikamaru will live. He will live with the pain and be forced to overthink what exactly is going on behind her motives. 

Sakura pulled away and turned around avoiding looking at his face again. She didn’t want to face his judgemental stare or worse - pity. Besides, the reinforcements will be here soon. Her initial fire to fight Konoha shinobi was all but gone. Only a sour taste left in her mouth.

Shikamaru always ruined everything…

Releasing Riku, Sakura grabbed the back of Hidan’s cloak and shunshin’ed away with him. She was so tired. Kakuzu was next to her in an instant.

“Are you okay, pinky?” the old man asked. He probably observed her interactions up until now and tried to make sense of it. Good luck, she wished him on that endeavor.

“No. I need more fuckin chakra,” Sakura gave a weak excuse slapping Hidan back to the land of living from his nap. “Let’s go home…”

Nobody argued her suggestion. They were all tired and disappointed in their own way. One lost his bounty. Another was outsmarted, almost blown to bits, and then tamed by a bird. The last was slowly going off the deep end. This was silence before the storm.

━━━━━━━━━━

They walked slowly towards Amegakure. Sakura’s feet felt heavy. The fatigue slowly drawled upon her exhausted muscles. It took a single stone standing in her way, to trip the woman up. She stumbled barely able to keep herself standing.

Kakuzu appeared by her side in a blink wrapping his arms around the limp body.

“You haven’t healed yourself,” he commented, noticing dark blood staining his fingers.

“Oh right, totally forgot,” Sakura mumbled, relaxing completely in Kakuzu’s grip. The man exhaled, shifting her more comfortably, and now was fully carrying her. Sakura’s hand started to glow green as she slowly healed the wound left by his tendrils.

When the healing was complete, Sakura’s eyes focused on the dried blood covering her arm right to the elbow. Naruto probably was fine by now. Healed and charged with Kurama’s chakra, she bitterly thought. 

The levels of annoyance within her raised to unseen heights. Yes, she might have hurt them. Yes, she dominated them. But… But! In the end, she couldn’t let them simply die. She wanted them to suffer, but this decision had a cost. Konoha shinobi were like shackles bringing her down. Sakura didn’t have it in her to set herself free… Yet.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura was dropped onto the floor of her room. Ah, Kakuzu was such a ‘gentle’ boy. Thankfully, Hidan didn’t bother her now. The man was too busy cursing and looking for a sacrifice for his god. Looks like he got ‘blue balled’ back in the forest as Shikamaru tricked him about being injured. Once a ritual was started it demanded for a sacrifice to be made…

She exhaled rolling on her back. Even if her chakra was gone, the frustration was still there. If only there was a way to relax and forget about the encounter…

A delicate movement to her right caught the woman's attention. She spotted three snakes coiled under her sofa. Right on cue, she smirked. Yes, visiting Orochimaru sounded like a great idea. If only she could move… Maybe after a short nap?

Heavy eyelids closed, while Sakura was still sprawled on the hardwood floor. The next time they opened, the morning light was already peeking through her window. Sakura groaned sitting up. Her muscles and bones felt stiff from sleeping on the floor.

She looked around taking in the calm of her surroundings. The snakes were still there under her sofa, just like she remembered. Their beady eyes tracked her movements with… annoyance? She smirked. They sure were representing Orochimaru well. He probably was no less annoyed with her failing to respond or come to him. 

“Don’t give me that look! Let me just change, and I’ll come,” the woman snickered waving the judgment of the snakes away like they couldn’t bite her with poisonous fangs. Sakura then stood up and started to get ready.

Shower. Change of clothes. Brush her shoulder-length hair. Then lavish her skin in macadamia cream. If Sakura didn’t know better, she would think that she was getting ready for a date. 

After a couple of hours of slow meticulous preparations, Sakura left her room and Amegakure behind. The snakes were long gone to give heads up to Orochimaru himself. Maybe she was still tired, or too lost in her own thoughts, but she didn’t notice random scorpions tracking her movements...

━━━━━━━━━━

Orochimaru stared into an open book with his blank eyes. She was _late_. The man couldn’t help wondering **what** dared to keep her away. No matter. She _will_ arrive, he was sure of it.

And he was right. In a couple more hours her chakra signature crossed his hideout barriers. Orochimaru shivered from anticipation but somehow managed to stay seated. This was now a matter of pride. If his Saku wants him so bad, she will find him herself.

“Hmpf,” he puffed with determination crossing arms over his chest. Orochimaru kept himself seated with his eyes closed. Waiting. This was a testament to his self-control after all. 

Orochimaru could feel a gathering storm under his skin. As if he was taking a walk to the edge of the world. Her presence was looming like a bird of doom. The earth itself was shifting and cracking, where all of his secrets lie hidden. 

He licked his lips. Soon will come a beautiful woman and a dark shadow will be cast wherever she stands. And the snake cannot shake the feeling of pleasant darkness consuming him whole. He hummed with pleasure as his nose picked up her scent.

The door opened, he could feel it clearly, but the sannin's eyes remained shut. There were no steps to be heard, but her warmth was a sign enough. Like a star, she was getting closer and burning him with her aura.

Then there were arms around his neck and a sweet sweet whisper by his ear.

“Gotch you!”

Orochimaru let out a shaky breath. Experiment. Theory. This is all just a chemical reaction. Just science. He tried to tell himself despite the urges his body showed. It **does not** matter what she says or does. It only matters that he gets his hormonal fix.

With a clear resolve set before him, the sannin snapped his eyes open and stood up brushing his Saku’s hands away. Instead, he made quick steps to pin the woman to the wall. For a moment their eyes met. He could see the lust and laziness within the emerald sea…

But he was strong. His will was strong. His determination was strong. Orochimaru pulled his emotions back and turned Saku around so as to not see her tempting face anymore. Right. That was not why she was here. She was here for sexual release. That is all…

Harshly he pulled down her tight shorts to reveal the pale skin at all its glory. Saku glanced at him over her shoulder with a smirk.

“So eager are we?” she snickered. Orochimaru said nothing. His eyes evaluated the womanly silhouette before him. The thin waist… round hips… The arousal was very clear in his pants. Was it really that easy to wake his animalistic urges? Surely that is unacceptable and yet… the way her legs curved…

Honestly, it made the man salivate. He ignored it, favoring to concentrate on the task at hand. Sexual release. Recalling the scripture he read a while back, Orochimaru slid his hand between Saku’s legs and spread them to have a better view. His fingers inched closer to the coveted nether region.

Spreading her tight opening, the sannin watched intently. Looking for the obvious chemical signs of arousal. He didn’t have to wait long as slowly Saku’s juices gathered up and threatened to drip down from her spread lips. 

“You’re such a tease,” Orochimaru heard the woman chuckle but paid her words no mind. This was certainly no teasing! He was just a scientist observing natural reactions. That is all. He also noted how bizarrely the sight alone managed to stimulate his own body further.

Interesting. Of course, he could not keep staring. Not at all because he couldn’t handle it… of course not… it was just the perfect time to move to stage two - penetration.

It felt almost like his body was yearning to make contact. It almost aced with anticipation. Impatiently Orochimaru unleashed his ‘snake’ and impaled Saku without any extra warning or delay. With urgency and greed, he lavished in her warmth.

Saku moaned out from the contact, making his skin crawl with shivers. The thirst to consume this woman was almost unbearable. Orochimaru clenched his jaw as his penis reached the very depths of the woman he had pinned to the wall.

“OoohHhh… Orochi...maru…” she moaned his name without any shame. Almost like a lover would. Furiously, Orochimaru pushed the thought aside and instead focused on moving his hips at a fast pace.

One of his hands grasped onto her waist, while the other took place at Saku’s neck squeezing it tight. Kami, he could not handle her saying any other dirty things or moans. And of course, it was unnecessary for the purpose of this _test_.

His nails dug into her skin, without a doubt leaving marks for the future. Orochimaru didn’t care. The only thing in his mind was like a mantra of all hormones that should be hard at work about now. At least he tried to focus on that at first…

When his first orgasm shuttered against Saku’s inner walls, Orochimaru felt the control slipping through his fingers. He growled and grabbed her tighter earning a weak wince from the woman in his clutches.

He didn’t feel satisfied yet. The unusual soft feeling still lingered in his chest. It was intolerable and had to be dealt with the only logical way that came to mind - more vigorous intercourse.

Orochimaru pulled back for a second gathering his thoughts, while his eyes rested on the woman panting before him. Saku was leaning on the wall with her back arched and buttox perked up provocatively in his direction. What hypnotized the man the most, was the sight of white trickling down the woman’s leg.

Involuntarily he licked his lips after a deep inhale. _Chemical reaction._ He reminded himself with a decisive nod. Without any more deliberation, Orochimaru took charge and maneuvered Saku onto his bed.

He wanted more... No! The snake _needed_ more. Only then his body would calm down, he was sure of it. Saku didn’t even struggle once. Her eyes only tracked him with amusement.

This was not what he planned. Truth be told, this was a spur of the moment decision. Similar to what he had done a while back. No clear reasoning behind it. Only one intention - _more_. Orochimaru created a clone.

Saku arched her eyebrow with a sly smirk but didn’t actually comment on it. Naturally, it didn't even matter what she thought about his decision. Orochimaru was bound to get what he wanted and that was final.

The snake's clone had one clear mission and took to it without hesitation. His hand almost gently weaved between pink locks and angeled her head just right to face his crotch. She got the hint and took him fully into her watery mouth.

The real Orochimaru watched for a moment mesmerized by the third party view. He could swear that it looked like Saku was enjoying what he made her do. She was so believable…

Lightly the man shook his head and inhaled as his focus fell down between the woman’s legs. Orochimaru could just start doing what he did before… _but wouldn’t it be fun to hear her scream with pleasure?_ a small voice said in the back of his head.

Hmmm. It might not be ‘fun’ as his inner voice suggested, but it would be beneficial to get Saku all nice and ready for him again… Yes, that sounded logical. Surely, he wouldn’t do anything for the woman’s pleasure alone… without a doubt…

His hand brushed over her thigh and then his thumb rested on her clitoris before starting to rub wide circles on the little bean. His middle finger effortlessly breached the woman’s insides. Almost simultaneously both he and Saku took a collective sigh of pleasure. Hers was muffled by his clone’s dick in her mouth. That sight made the real Orochimaru grunt with frustration again.

The snake eased in another finger. And then another. Three of his long digits moved in and out of his woman without much resistance. He noted how Saku’s hips bucked up to meet his movement. Long tongue darted on its own violation upon the sight.

Quivering of her inner walls was a sign that Saku was tethering on the edge of bliss. Orochimaru pulled his hand out in one quick motion and watched as her vagina contracted, feeling the sudden void until the walls closed in. He heard a whimper of displeasure coming from the preoccupied mouth of his Saku. 

What was that strange feeling in his chest? Something heavy threatened to choke him. Was that also caused by hormones, the snake wondered observing the sultry body of the woman before him. He tried to recall the instant when the feeling appeared… hmmm, it felt like it happened right after Saku showed her displeasure… interesting.

None of his books stated anything about hormonal reactions being initiated or affected by the coitus partner's state. Had he discovered something new? Orochimaru wondered, while his hand leisurely brushed over his Saku’s waist.

The way the woman leaned into his touch was tantalizing. The way she moaned around his clone’s girth made his blood rush again. Unbeknownst to him, Orochimaru was slowly losing his control again. 

He couldn’t stay away anymore. Urgently the sannin pulled the woman by her hips closer and shed his yet again hard penis within her sleek entrance.

Both of them moaned out at the same time as the connection was made. For Kami’s sake, this was not the first time they engaged, not even the first time that day, but it still blinded the man’s mind with relief and pleasure.

Vaguely he tried to keep thoughts circling about the chemical reactions happening in his mind. That is until it all went out the proverbial window. Orochimaru’s clone disappeared, the second Saku clenched her walls around his real member. The pressure caused by her orgasm was so great, that he could barely move anymore.

And to top it all off, memories of his clone rushed into his mind like a waterfall of pleasure. He saw what his clone saw. He felt what his clone felt. The soft lips on his tender skin. The slick tongue playing around. The vibration of her moans surrounding him. And the sight of his real self playing around with her nether region.

That was it. Orochimaru shuttered and succumbed to the feeling that washed over his body. Saku’s voice now unobstructed rang in the room. Her moans alone made the snake hiss. All the muscles in his body tensed for a moment as Orochimaru released his seed into his Saku.

“Ohh fuck yes!… Orochi…” she gasped his name riding her own orgasm still.

━━━━━━━━━━

The day and night were long. The more Orochimaru felt his resolve slipping through his fingers, the harder he tried to prove himself wrong.

Saku now laid completely exhausted by his side. Her sleeping figure was pleasant for his eyes and also infuriating at the same. How come, this single woman would have such power over him?

Orochimaru exhaled, whisking a strand of pink hair from her face. His fingers brushed down over her collarbone and then over the valley between her exposed breasts. He hesitated only once sharp eyes noticed the bruises he left on her waist and hips. 

The man's face scrunched with distaste. Saku didn’t seem to mind his roughness, but for yet another unknown reason, seeing her skin bruised didn’t sit well with the sannin. His hand started to glow green and he carefully healed all the marks, taking great care in the task he was doing.

Orochimaru looked at Saku’s face illuminated by the warm light of a candle. He was quickly lost in thought as his mind drifted. What if she wouldn’t have to go back to Akatsuki? What if she stayed by his side? What if… An image of a smaller version of himself carefully appeared in his head. A boy, definitely. Pale as him. Short pink hair as her…

This was a dream he had before war overtook his existence. A peaceful and quiet life. A family. Mild horror made the snake's eyes go wide. _She_... she somehow rekindled all the dreams, it took him a lifetime to destroy and banish from his mind.

Orochimaru observed the sleeping woman as his mind raced with one thought barely catching the other. For years he felt that his soul was nothing but a dark hole. Now, it felt like Saku was reaching deep into that hole and healing his shrinking soul. And there was not a single thing that he could do.

She’s a goddess. She’s a woman. She’s a ghost that haunts him every waking moment. The way they were together was wicked in itself. And yet Orochimaru felt himself surrender to all those unknown powers that brought them together. 

Orochimaru felt like he was having a strange sickness for the first time. For once he was tongue-tied and white lie addiction he had could no more hide the facts from his eyes. Down to his bones, the snake felt it. The way he could no longer control the loss of control even if he tried to.

His eyes bore into Saku’s face with a single flaming thought of realization behind them - _I will never give you up… I lo....._

━━━━━━━━━━


	66. Why?

Kakashi felt like everything around him was happening in a distance. There was a thick haze covering his mind. On complete autopilot did he return to Konoha with surprisingly every member of their teams alive.

At first, he couldn’t even jump to Naruto’s side, until Hinata announced that the boy was completely fine besides the scar on his chest. Shikamaru looked battered and bloody, but fine as well. So they traveled back home in silence.

Tsunade looked over them with a pensive stare. She already sent Naruto to the hospital, not taking no for an answer. Now only Tenzo, Hinata, Shikamaru, and himself stood before the Hokage. Jonin obviously because they were the team leaders and Hinata most likely for her status as the Hokage’s apprentice.

“I want details,” the blond asked, leveling each of them with a sharp stare.

“It all went by the plan…” Shikamaru spoke up yet his eyes looked detached. Kakashi didn’t know the full extent of what happened with Nara while their teams were separated, but it couldn’t be as bad as seeing Naruto… Quickly, he pushed that image aside.

“I separated the immortal one from the group and we were in the outskirts of Nara forest when a bird, Saku’s summon, appeared and prevented me from blowing the bastard to bits.”

“She has summons?” Tsunade raised an eyebrow with displeasure.

“Yes, looks like she has a contract with ravens,” Tenzo said.

Tsunade bit her thumb from frustration and Kakashi didn’t fully understand why, until the woman spoke again…

“Ravens… fuckin ravens… so it was her!”

“What do you mean, Hokage-sama?” Shikamaru asked.

“During my inauguration! It was ravens who dropped the intel from the sky! ANBU found a couple of feathers left behind. _She_ said it was her doing, but I didn’t believe it until now…” Tsunade was practically rambling by now ignorant of the shocked faces of her four shinobi.

Kakashi felt another wave of pain roll down his chest. Even then… even then Saku cared so deeply about the village, that she risked being caught by Root to expose their wrongdoings. Kami only knows how she found out about it in the first place! While also keeping up with the abuse at home. Kakashi wondered if something else happened when his students were captured by Root. Until today he never thought twice about what Saku went through in the depths of Root HQ. 

And now, Konoha was cleansed of rotten roots, but Saku was cast away as a traitor. This didn’t feel right. 

“Alright, what happened next?” Tsunade sighed, focusing again on them.

“As planned we engaged two Akatsuki that were left behind,” Kakashi spoke like a despatched robot he was. Mind blank. No thoughts whatsoever. He described every detail that he could remember about the enemy he faced. Kakuzu, who turned out to be no less immortal than Hidan.

“Then our team showed up,” Tenzo took over as the leader for the backup team. Kakashi blacked out until he was brought back to reality by Tsunade’s screech.

“SHE DID WHAT?”

“Shisho, I examined Naruto right away when Saku-san left. His wound was almost completely healed. Naruto confirmed that she had a hand directly around his heart… she could have killed him if she wanted to…” Hinata spoke, her stutter long ago forgotten and left behind where her innocent childhood lay buried.

“But she didn’t!” Shikamaru snapped.

"Yes, Shisho. Instead, she healed Naruto," Hinata carefully said.

"So what? She did it only to make what? A point?" Tsunade snarled.

Kakashi wouldn't listen anymore. It was too much. The second they were dismissed, the copy nin poofed away back to his apartment. Only there did he allow himself to slump to the floor hyperventilating.

Somehow he managed to summon his pack and shivered in their pile as the memories flooded his head. Naruto… Rin… Saku… Himself… The similarities were uncanny. The way she effortlessly reached into Naruto's chest. The way the blood pooled on the ground…

_This is no chidori by all means, but it gets the job done don’t you think, Kakashi?_

Her voice was filled with disgust and directed right at him. Then suddenly his body and mind froze at once. Why would she say that to _him_? Yes, he used chidori… yes he was their sensei… but still. Why such theatrics?

Could be that… Saku knew about what happened to Rin? That was the only logical explanation why she would go to such lengths… to such an exact scene to be set… why she would say what she did…

Kakashi sat up with his legs crossed, eyes closed in deep concentration. Considering she was the one to expose Konoha’s secrets, there was a high chance that Saku also knew about Rin. That part was not what confused him. It actually was the only part that made sense.

The main question in his head was - why. Saku never acted without a thought behind it. Did she really want to hurt him? If so, she definitely chose the right thing to do. Kakashi still felt shivers of chock and his hands still shook. Just like after he... and Rin... But… why? Why did she _hate_ him specifically? 

Kakashi had many answers listed to that question. He abandoned her on more than one occasion. He wasn’t there to save her. He let her down. There was too much to choose from. And so the pain didn’t feel that bad anymore. He deserved it…

The copy nin would have relaxed now and surrendered to slumber, but there was still this nagging feeling in his gut that he was missing something… there had to be more… there was more… something underneath the underneath... It felt like he just looked under one layer of mystery that surrounded Saku Haruno.

━━━━━━━━━━

Shikamaru couldn’t sleep. Since the day their group returned to the village his mind was a mess. Sometimes, when he awoke in the middle of the night from nightmares that plagued his dreams, he could still see Saku’s blood sprayed on him,

Breathing heavily he stared at his wooden ceiling and recalled the dream. It was a mixture of both times Saku had jumped in front of him to protect him…

WHY? Why did she do it **again**? Was it an instinct? Or did she mean her words? Was she really going to kill him herself? No. Shikamaru could not ever believe in that. All the logic suggested that Saku protected him either intentionally or on instinct. 

Yet, if she protected him, does it mean that there is still a bond between them? Yes, Saku looked more than angry, her words hurt more than a kunai, but… Nara could not accept that his _friend_ was beyond saving as some have said.

“I will get you back… I will drag you back to Konoha if I have to…” he said in a stern and decisive voice. First, he will have to get even stronger. Train even harder to at least have a chance.

━━━━━━━━━━

Orochimaru woke up feeling a distinct lack of warmth around him. He quickly chased away the leftover haze of sleep and indeed Saku was nowhere to be found when he looked around. Her clothing was gone. She left.

The man scrunched his face. She never left without saying her goodbyes. Even if it were the middle of the night, the snake would be awoken by her gentle parting kisses. Was he that exhausted that he didn’t wake?

Or maybe… she intentionally left without alarming him. Orochimaru closed his eyes shut and took a deep calming breath. Why would she do that? Why would Saku leave without saying a word? Surely she couldn’t be upset with him… right?

It didn’t look like she minded his rough behavior last day & night. Unless she thought differently… but no, that could not be it! Orochimaru was more than sure that his woman was satisfied with the intercourse as multiple orgasms proved it. She couldn’t fake that… Although, he couldn’t put it past someone as skilled as Saku.

Something felt wrong. The snake never felt like this before. Maybe the anxiety was only because he finally acknowledged his feelings towards the pink-haired little devil. Or maybe there was a reason for his worry... He couldn’t distinguish between the two possibilities at the moment.

With a groan, he stood up. Orochimaru’s body was pleasantly relaxed, he felt serene almost. The smell of sex still lingered in his room, making his mind pleasantly wander to the activities of the past 24 hours.

After dressing up he went down to the laboratories. Maybe now he could put a label on the feelings he had for Saku, but that didn’t mean that he was about to follow her like a needy puppy. Even though that was exactly what he wanted to do. Follow her. Take her. Just be with her.

Work was his answer and salvation. Work would ground him back to reality. The snake was very close to finalizing his cloning project. Couple more weeks and he would be done… Orochimaru would have his own body back!

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura cursed as she leaped quickly from one branch to another. Every jump caused a minor ace to her legs and overall body muscles. Orochimaru didn’t hold back. It felt like the man lost any sense of control as the feral side of him took over. She didn’t mind it. Actually, feeling the aftermath made her lips curve into a smile. She felt… wanted.

And yet now in the husk of dawn, the woman rushed back to Amegakure. An hour ago she felt Nagato tug on her presence. He still didn’t get a report from her about what happened with Konoha shinobi. Ups.

Now the leader was getting impatient and Sakura knew better than to stall. She was breathless when her feet finally stepped inside the dome of rain that covered the village.

“Wolfy-kun!” she chirped barging into his office without a knock.

The man looked up from a stack of papers not amused.

“Where have you been?”

“Blowing some… steam,” she didn’t suppress a deviant chuckle that escaped her lips. Oh, she was blowing something alright. And Sakura was pretty sure that Nagato by now could tell what she was talking about. With all the extracurricular activities he himself was doing with Konan the man was now fully educated on mortal desires.

“Right,” he sighed. Then his eyes rested on her for a long moment before he spoke again. “Hidan and Kakuzu had already reported about your interaction with Konoha. Why didn’t you kill them?”

“Wasn’t worth it. It would be equivalent to punching a hornet's nest. Plus, ninetails is not assigned to our team. I am honorable like that,” Sakura winked playfully.

“I’ll give you this one chance to rethink your answer. Why are they still alive?”

Sakura’s smile was gone just like the morning dew. Her eyes were cold, but at least she didn’t have any more of that frustration left in her, thanks to Orochimaru.

“I… I want them to suffer… death would be too good for the likes of them…” she said carefully with eyes focused on the little droplets of rain on the window. 

“You are merciless.”

“Maybe.”

“But their suffering will not take away your own pain, Saku.”

“That’s a bit hypocritical of you, Wolfy-kun,” she smirked with pain and bitterness. 

“How is that?”

“Aren’t you planning to destroy all of them? Cause them pain for the better tomorrow? To alleviate your own suffering? To redeem your own past?”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“Pain is the only answer,” Sakura said as if placing an end to their conversation.

“It doesn’t have to be. There will be pain only if they will be stupid to go against my will. When we have all the tailed beasts, we will have the ultimate weapon,” Nagato’s voice was calm and steady, but Sakura could tell that his resolve didn’t come forth without hesitation like that time when she just arrived at Akatsuki. Was he wavering? Was he overthinking it? Or maybe he was finally noticing the flaws in his design.

“But they will go against it. Hell, I bet that villages would go as far as cooperating with one another if that came to be. As they say, my enemy's enemy is my friend,” Sakura felt her tongue getting loose as she let go of her tangent.

“Oh, are you doubting my plans?” the usually steady undead face now showed a slither of reaction by one eyebrow quirking up in a questioning manner.

“...yes…” Sakura said it carefully. She might die now. Well, if she already went this far… her emerald eyes looked up to meet his rinnegan. “This plan… it does not make sense! Collecting all beasts cannot lead to anything good! Having all things that everyone covets, would only serve to unify everyone against us. Akatsuki are already the strongest, so why even bother with the beasts? WHY the beasts? Why not make Amegakure the greatest city it can be? Why not kill other kage? KAMI, there are so many options! So why the beasts? Why them? Why?”

By the end of her rant, Saku was breathing heavily. Nagato didn’t answer her and she could only wonder what he was thinking at this moment.

“Why indeed…” she heard Pain's voice only barely. “You are dismissed,” he said louder and Sakura couldn’t get out fast enough.

Silently she thanked the powers that kept her alive once more. She was lucky and relaxed taking a familiar route towards her labs.

The woman looked around and felt almost bad about abandoning her work for a while. She was just so busy with tailed beasts… Konoha… Orochimaru… It was time to continue with her research on how to kill an already dead body, yet her hands wouldn’t move towards the cadavers.

She didn’t _want_ to do it. A prospect of killing Nagato each day sounded less and less appealing. Maybe she could leave the man to his own devices and someone else would kill him for her?

Who was she kidding? With the way Nagato’s health had recovered thus far, there was only a handful of shinobi who could even stand against him.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sasori watched from the shadows as Saku left their leader's office. His eyes would be bloodshot from anticipation if he were alive. Soon the bitch will be dealt with, he thought with glee.

After waiting an hour the redhead puppet master knocked on their leader's door. He had evidence. He had real tangible evidence! There was a reason why he despised the woman from the start. It had nothing to do, with the way she kicked his butt… 

“Leader-sama! I have important information!” Sasori announced when he was granted entrance. “There is a spy in Akatsuki.”

━━━━━━━━━━

A week later Sakura made her way into one of the main halls of their base. She entered the cave-like room and was surprised for a second to see all Akatsuki members gathered in one place. She took her spot next to Itachi ignoring Fugaku's presence just like always.

They stood in silence waiting for their leader to show up. The atmosphere was tense. She wondered if it had anything to do with their hunt on the beasts… or Konoha. Her eyes scanned the people gathered here. The men looked around in the same manner as she did, so most likely unaware of the goal behind this gathering.

Only Sasori stared at her with his unblinking wooden eyes. She stared back unapologetically until he turned away.

With a husk of wind, Pain appeared in the center. And his paths were right behind him. Akatsuki members focused on their leader with respectful silence. Well, everyone except…

“What the fuck is this about? I have things to do, you know,” Hidan muttered not too quietly earning a harsh glance from Pain.

“There has been a development...” Pain started to speak as his eyes drifted over each member until they stopped on Sakura. She smirked with an eyebrow raised in curiosity.

The man made a couple of steps towards her now fully focused on her alone. Sakura didn’t budge or flinch. This was going to be interesting…

“Are you working for Orochimaru?”

The question rang in the silence. Sakura wasn’t sure where this came from, but it wasn’t like she didn’t expect it either. Since the first time she slipped out to meet the snake sannin, the woman already developed a plan. A cover story. Of sorts. Actually, she was amused that it took Pain this long to figure it out.

“No,” she smirked, with arms crossed over her chest. She wasn’t wrong. This _will_ be interesting _and_ fun. Sakura was ready to defend herself if Pain would decide to attack, although she didn’t detect any hostility so far. 

“LIES! I tracked you going into the snake's hideout!” Sasori yelled out victorious. _That little shit…_ Sakura almost regretted letting the puppet master live. Almost.

“Yes, I did go into his hideout,” she didn't bat an eye as she confirmed the accusation.

“SEE??!! She’s not even denying it! She’s Orochimaru’s spy!!”

Sakura took note of how Kakuzus’s hearts steadied their pace like before a fight. She could feel a curious gaze from Itachi’s side. Deidara and Hidan probably were the only ones who hadn’t personally met the snake and so were not as shocked or moved by this revelation. While Kisame whistled with admiration and surprise. The man lived for drama.

“What did you tell him?” Pain asked her point black. Now Sakura couldn’t hold back her chuckle.

“We didn’t exactly talk…” she trailed off suggestively. A while back Nagato would have to get a more detailed explanation from someone, to understand what she meant. Now, he got her ‘drift’ just fine. He knew exactly what she insinuated. Unlike Sasori, who would break a blood vessel if he had any.

“WHAT? LIES! You obviously are working for him and reporting back about Akatsuki business…”

Sakura turned her head towards the redhead unamused. She was now more than ever sure that Sasori was a virgin.

“My _dear_ Sasori, me and Orochimaru do not talk or share secrets. We fuck,” she deadpanned and yet another deafening silence followed her words. In the corner of her eye, the woman saw Itachi’s eyes go wide with horror. No one dared to move. No one except…

“Bitch! You nasty!” Hidan bellowed with melodic laughter.

“What? I have needs,” she shrugged nonchalantly. The shock of the truth was still heavily present. Some were more terrified than others. At least Sasori finally shut his mouth. “Besides, Konan said I should take my ‘business’ outside the village,” she shrugged.

Pain shot a glance towards his partner, who stood emotionless as ever. They didn’t need words to communicate. The nonverbal conversation between the two happened in seconds. Konan gave a slow nod verifying Sakura’s words.

The leader returned his ringed eyes on her. She couldn’t tell if he was convinced or not. Not like she was lying. And he could tell if she was with the damn dojutsu he had.

“That’s not the only reason, is it?” he asked, creating the tension Sakura tried so hard to suppress. Well, looks like she will have to go with her plan B.

A smile on her face shifted into a more amused smirk. Her eyes were sparkling with the maniacal glint to them. She was pretty sure that most of the Akatsuki members have not seen this side of her. Maybe except Hidan who usually was close enough when she killed people…

“Is it ever?” she answered with a question. Of course, Sakura was treading a dangerous line. One incorrect step and Pain will snap her in half. Demonstratively slowly, Sakura raised her hands into seals. She deliberately moved in slow motion, to display that there is no malic behind her jutsu. Well almost…

When her hand signs were finished, she placed her palm on the ground and yelled for all to hear clearly:

“ **Summoning: Reanimation!** ”

━━━━━━━━━━


	67. Grounded

“ **Summoning: Reanimation!** ”

Honestly, by now Nagato was not even that surprised to see Saku using _that_ technique. It actually finally made sense why she needed so many live and dead subjects. So this was her research, the man deducted as his eyes watched a big white coffin emerge from the ground behind the pink-haired woman like a menacing shadow.

“The fuck is that?” Hidan scrunched his nose with suspicion, while others kept themselves far quieter. Some had a pretty good idea about reanimation jutsu.

“You stole Orochimaru’s technique,” it was not a question, but rather a statement made by his Pain. He took a breath and relaxed. For a second there Nagato was not sure if the woman would have a reasonable excuse for his question. An excuse that other Akatsuki members would buy…

As for Nagato, he knew that her initial reasoning for visiting Orochimaru was the true one. He was not even shocked to hear it considering Saku’s past… Sometimes his mind would replay how she acted with him and it all made sense. A girl slipping so low as to bed a monster like him and a heartless snake like Orochimaru.

Yet, that provocative nature was nurtured in her from the woman's adolescence, so who was he to judge her actions now? If Orochimaru was what she chose, so be it. As long as Saku didn’t share Akatsuki business with the snake, Nagato could deal with it.

He doubted that the ‘relationship’ was good for Saku in the first place. It most definitely wasn’t, he decided. In a way, he started to care about her. She was broken and battered by life, and her pain was so vivid that it took Nagato’s breath away. So in the man's mind, Saku deserved better. 

“Ups,” Saku only answered with an innocent smile and big eyes that were fooling no one. She was unapologetic to the bone.

“Who is in there?” Kakuzu growled the question that circled in all of their heads. If they thought Saku’s smile could not get any wider, they were oh so wrong. She looked like a cat that just got her prey in the corner.

Carefully the woman stepped aside. With a thud, the lid of the coffin moved and fell forwards to reveal…

The chill rolled over the whole cave as the lid reached the ground. Every single Akatsuki member took a collective sharp inhale and stepped back. Some with horror, some with surprise. Itachi moved at least two steps back as he was the closest one. His eyes shone bright crimson tomoe spinning at wicked speed.

“Oh, how the tables have turrrrrned,” a dark chuckle reached their ears as the pale man stepped outside.

Orochimaru.

The snake sannin looked… younger? His eyes were white as all reincarnated beings. The other appearance differences from what Nagato recalled were… odd. The man’s hair was in a ponytail, allowing two locks to frame the sides of his face. And his clothing was a kimono style Nagato has not seen before.

No matter the appearance.

It was still very clearly and truly Orochimaru.

“You… you… killed Orochimaru?” Sasori stuttered uncharacteristically. Sakura snorted and rolled her eyes, arms again crossed under her chest.

“One does not simply kill Orochimaru,” she huffed annoyed. _Was she insulted on Orochimaru's behalf?_ Nagato considered her reaction carefully.

“I can assssssure you, that I am verrrry much alive and well, Ssssasori,” Orochimaru said himself as his ‘undead’ eyes looked over each member of Akatsuki. “Hmmm, what a reunion. You sssssure are one vindictive devillllll,” the pale snake turned to Saku with a wicked smirk of his own.

But… for a brief second Nagato noticed something else. In the small creases of Orochimaru’s face… the way his eyes tightened… there was a softness in the way this man looked at Saku. And the supposed insult itself sounded more like a pet name, at least for Nagato’s ears.

“What’s the big deal here?” Deidara mumbled while Itachi stared unblinkingly. His focus could not be broken even if Hashirama himself appeared behind him.

“The deal is that reanimation jutsu is usually done with the dead, _not_ the living,” Nagato remarked through his pain. “ _This_ opens up a whole different bag of possibilities,” he hummed more to himself rather than other Akatsuki members.

“There are no limitsssss for people like me and herrrrr,” Orochimaru smirked again as his face turned to Saku. “Well, this is rather embarrasssssing for me. Was that your goal?”

“Eye for an eye,” the woman smirked cryptically. 

“Mmmm. So thissss is where you have been hiding?”

Saku didn’t answer anything, but their eyes kept up the conversation between the two. Nagato couldn’t tell exactly what happened between them.

“Do you want me to ssssslaughter them all for you? Or do you have other plans for them?” Orochimaru asked nonchalantly as his eyes returned to watching Akatsuki members on edge. Each was already in a defensive stance, ready for the snake's attack despite how casually the words rolled off the snake's tongue.

“No. They are family and we don’t hurt family,” she reprimanded the snake like he was a naughty child getting a lecture. Orochimaru snickered amused, but no one else shared his feelings.

Nagato took note of the way Saku called them family. Akatsuki was always just a tool to reach his goals. At least that is what he thought for a long while, but maybe young kunoichi was right? Konan was his family. She was Akatsuki. Saku was something more than a tool. She was Akatsuki. Others… Nagato would not call them friends, but when were family members ever friends with each other?

If the man was honest with himself, he would have admitted that the idea of Akatsuki as one disturbed family was appealing. He felt like they all belonged together and strangely fit into one puzzle.

“I don’t understand… how did you do it??” Nagato’s train of thought was disturbed by Sasori’s hiss. The puppet master like others still looked with suspicion at Orochimaru. The fear was palpable in the air. Maybe they were all S-rank missing-nin, but they were not stupid. It was clear as day that snake sannin invoked terror for a reason.

“Kami,” Saku rolled her eyes dramatically. Nagato almost smirked. _As if she would reveal her secrets_. Then her eyes glanced over each Akatsuki with judgment before she continued speaking.

“What _I_ don’t understand, is how six dicks can be pussies. Scared of a little snake? Pathetic.”

Silence.

“Pfft, little? That’ssss not what you said the last time…” Nagato heard a silent mumble Orochimaru made, while Hidan’s yell echoed in the hall.

“Oy! Who are you calling a pussy, bitch?”

“Hmm, how rrrrude, maybe I sssshould snap his neck after all?” Orochimaru remarked casually.

“Don’t bother. I already tried - he’s immortal,” Saku shook her head in disappointment. Only Nagato could tell that it was fake. He knew how close the girl was with the Zombie duo. By now they should probably be called a Zombie Trio…

“Enough. This meeting is over,” Nagato ordered as his mind was finally made up on what to do next. He had seen and heard enough. Some things he wished he hadn’t.

“WHAT? BUT SHE IS CLEARLY A SPY WORKING WITH OROCHIMARU!!!” Sasori lost the last shreds of composure he might have had. Nagato was not having any of that. 

“Are you doubting me, Sasori? I would know if she had lied. She didn’t,” Nagato’s calm voice silenced the riled up man instantly. Nobody in their right mind doubted their leader Pain.

“Till the nexxxxxxxt time,” it was not clear who the snake addressed with his last words. Saku quickly released her summoning and the coffin was gone. 

“Everyone dismissed. Saku. Stay,” Nagato said as he turned around and lightly paced thinking over his next words. One by one Akatsuki members left. The woman showed no concern on her face. She was not the least bit scared of him.

“Saku. You will not meet with Orochimaru again,” he said, unblinking rinnegan watching her carefully. The woman stilled, processing his words.

“So, I’m what? Grounded?” she carefully said with an almost perfectly hidden surprise. Nagato still noticed. Usually, Saku was not easy to surprise.

“Hmm. I guess you are,” Nagato answered. Half of him expected to be hit by the feisty woman, the other half looked for any signs of Saku shutting down like that time in his office. She did neither. Her eyes searched almost desperately for a loophole.

“But…”

Nagato didn’t let the woman speak, as he continued with the other boundaries he had in mind.

“You can _take care_ of any personal _business_ here. And from tomorrow you will be joined by your new teammate. Your mission will be to assist in capturing the Three Tails.”

The woman scoffed, crossing arms on her chest once more.

“Still with the beasts…” she complained not too quietly.

“I understand that you see another way to reach our goal, but peace with it will be attained my way,” Nagato’s voice was far more stern than his actual thoughts.

“Winning is everything in this world,” Saku talked back and he mused on how easy it was to provoke her. “The victors write history. The losers are wiped from it. And if we use the tailed beasts we _will_ lose!”

“You seem very sure of your words?” he arched one eyebrow not taking this whole conversation too seriously. The main goal why he indulged it in the first place, was to get Saku’s mind off the limitations he put in place. He was not stupid. The man saw that there was a bond between Saku and Orochimaru. And he did not approve of it. The bond had to be severed gently. With distance first to aid at this task.

“Things related to tailed beasts never end well…” she trailed off. “I researched everything I could find and all through history beasts were the cause of pain and suffering…”

“Hmm, then what would you suggest to do with them? Just leave for villages to use as weapons?”

“NO! We could just… seal them somewhere no one could put their hands on…”

“There is no such place on earth where shinobi could not reach.”

“Yes, there isn’t. _On earth_.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“What do you think of the moon?” she finally smirked with a scheming glint to her emerald eyes. Nagato was now truly shocked. What a preposterous and ridiculous idea… and yet, the more he thought about it, the more reasons his mind found to seriously consider it.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura exhaled easier when Nagato’s Pain finally left her be. They actually let her stay! She was of course right to think that her skill of reanimating the dead **or** the living would force the man to overlook her _affiliation_ with Orochimaru.

For once she regretted not having sharingan… She would have paid a lot to immortalize the horrified expression on Fugaku’s ghostly face… It is a shame that Sasori was a puppet and outwardly showed no reaction. At least his screams of complaint delighted her greatly.

Now she leisurely stalled back to her room thinking about other things Nagato said. She was forbidden to see Orochimaru again and Sakura did not yet know how she felt about it. Of course, she was just using the snake for her pleasure, but… it will be such a drag to find someone else like him.

A pinch of sadness made her heart heavy. But why was she sad in the first place? Sakura couldn’t explain it and chose not to think about it.

Her mind shifted to the other more serious matter at hand. Her new partner. When Nagato said his name, she almost cursed aloud. Fucking Tobi. Fucking Uchiha always ruining her life… No doubt, the leader wanted to keep a close eye on her now. What better way to do it if not to follow her himself?

Yes, Sakura had no illusions about Nagato being a puppet of Tobi just like in her past life. Even though she slowly gave Pain her own ideas and tried to disperse the clouds covering the man's mind, there was no clear progress visible to her.

Why did she bother with it in the first place? For one, Sakura still highly despised Uchiha, and ruining his plans, whatever they were, sounded like a great idea. Second, she did not wish for Nagato or other Akatsuki members to die from Tobi’s ambition. Yes, Sakura finally admitted to herself. Akatsuki was her home and she would protect it and the people in it. Even if she has to protect them from themselves.

“Pinky! Fuckin finally!” Hidan yelled as he pushed himself up straight from leaning on her room door.

“What do you want?” she walked past him, barely even acknowledging the man's presence.

“You know, if you had _needs_ you should have said so, pumpkin,” the man was sly, but she could not deny the confidence he had. It was almost sexy. Sakura smirked.

“You wish.”

“I do,” he said more seriously as he stepped closer towards her. Sakura was not amused. She looked him dead in the eyes almost daring to lay a finger on her. She felt strong and confident, but that feeling was fragile.

The more this man’s deep eyes stared at her, the more she wavered. Why was he doing this? Today. Now. WHY? Sakura felt like she had no escape and the walls were closing in on her. She just wanted to blackout and not think about the cacophony of feelings stirring within her gut.

She would have gladly ran away any other given day. Run to wide accepting arms of… No, she was forbidden from doing so. And thus she had to face Hidan and his piercing purple eyes. It felt like he could see right through her.

Sakura wanted to punch him in the face.

━━━━━━━━━━


	68. Omake: Hidan

“You wish.”

“I do,” Hidan stepped closer to Saku, pulled towards the woman by an unknown force. He wasn’t lying. The color pink has completely consumed his mind. She was his goddess of slaughter and he would worship her if he could. 

Yet today was different. Hidan felt jealousy spike deep in his veins. Why would she be with some snake, when he was right there next to her? That wasn’t right… Her actions weren’t right… His little lethal petal was lost and the man couldn’t stand for it any longer.

“From what I heard about the fucker, he’s a real creep. Why would you ever fuck that piece of trash?” Hidan asked seriously with a clear intention of getting to the bottom of her reasoning.

“Hey! Shut the fuck up, Hidan, you know nothing,” Saku responded without the usual jokes in her voice. The man narrowed his eyes with suspicion as he gazed down at the woman.

“Why were you doing this? What is wrong with you?” Hidan asked again as surely there had to be something up for her to want someone as deviant as Orochimaru. The man noticed how the girl tensed up, eyes sending daggers his way. And he smelled blood in the water.

“Drop it, Hidan, or I’ll cut your fuckin’ head off!”

Maybe he was loud and rushed into a fight without much thought, but that didn’t mean that he was blind or stupid. Hell, he would not have managed to learn the secret Jashin techniques if he was. If Hidan really tried, he could be very perceptive and he was trying hard at the moment.

“Sure, you can cut me up if that’ll make you feel fuckin’ better. Then we both will suffer together in pain, but it will still not change the fact that you are fucked up.”

Saku scoffed in response and he knew exactly why. Yes, it might be hypocritical of him to say that, but it was no blasphemy.

“Yeah yeah, we are all fucked up here, but not like that… not like you.”

“Pfft, please,” she crossed her arms and rolled her emerald eyes in denial. Hidan saw right through it.

“Tell me, Saku, who hurt you? Who damaged you so bad, that you turned to the snake for comfort?”

“I am not damaged…” her voice was stern but far quieter than before. She was avoiding eye contact proving his point again. And the man's blood boiled once more. He already knew that Konoha hurt his goddess, but not the details. Like any other Akatsuki member, Saku did not speak of her past.

“Bullshit.”

“You’re bullshit.”

“Tell. Me.”

“No! Listen. Hidan, if you want to fuck me that badly, sure! FINE! Let’s fuckin’ do it! If that will make your big mouth shut the fuck up!!”

His eyes saddened upon hearing her words. She was avoiding the subject. Trying desperately to distract him. A mention of possibly fucking her gorgeous body did arouse Hidan’s whole being, but his mind was not yet ready to let go of the subject. He was sure that if he only knew the truth, he could help Saku by bringing vengeance in her name.

“No,” so that is what Hidan responded crossing his own arms on his chest. A Cheshire smirk spread on Saku’s face as she stepped closer to him. 

“Ohhh, is that so?” she coed as her gentle hand traced down his bare chest right to his crotch. Hidan inhaled sharply upon the contact. 

“Stop it, Saku,” he growled, fighting the urge to jump the temptress.

“Mmmm, that’s not what you said the last time…” she whispered seductively as her hand brushed over the body part he could not control. Shit. She had to remind him…

The last time.

The first time gods smiled at him like they never smiled before and he was allowed to ravage her. 

Hidan could remember it clearly despite the copious amounts of alcohol he had that night. Sunagakure. Demon Desert. He already had finished his third bottle of beer, when Saku entered the little bar with her disguise as a blond bimbo in place.

She sat next to him without hesitation and placed a huge bottle of cold sake on the table. Hidan smirked as he draped an arm around the woman’s shoulders, wordlessly claiming the woman as his own, for all other guests of this establishment to know.

“What's a nice place like you doing in a girl like this?” he snarled with a wink after downing yet another bottle.

“Are you already drunk, asshole?”

“Drunk in love with my goddess of slaughter,” he chuckled darkly into the woman’s neck. She didn’t push him away so he took this opportunity to be close to her warm body. Hidan was never attracted like this to _anyone_ before.

Of course, the man had more than a healthy amount of sex. Jashin was not against physical pleasure as long as the slaughter part was fulfilled. Hidan followed all the rules _religiously_ after all. Jashin was a demanding god to worship. Always in need of a new sacrifice. Always in need of blood to be spilled in his name. 

Yet there was one small little detail, Hidan often ignored... Jashin after all was just a figment of his imagination and all the rules were nothing more than sprinkles to make this pile of shit believable. 

For years no one has ever questioned Hidan’s claims about his god. What started as a cover story to explain his thirst for slaughter, became something more… And now he had finally found the embodiment of everything he believed in. Saku.

She was merciless and cruel. She was strong and beautiful. From the first time he saw her blood jutsu, Hidan was smitten. It reminded him instantly of the Chinoike clan from his homeland. They used their dojutsu to manipulate blood, very much like Saku. The clan was long gone, but it felt like home when he watched her kill…

Then he saw the thing that put the last nail into the coffin for his undying love - the mark Saku left on her victims. The triangle shapes below their eyes. The Jashin symbol! It was destiny for them to meet. Together they would color the world in red.

Saku chuckled as she downed a cup of sake.

“Mhm, tell me, Hidan, when they make yearly 'men of Akatsuki' calendar, is it just twelve months of you?” to hear her flirt was pure joy. Hidan bit his lip as his eyes looked down at the woman beside him. He could almost see into her cleavage…

He wanted to take full advantage of the good mood Saku was in, but the reasonable part of his mind whispered that the woman had other motives underneath her cheeky smile. Hidan always trusted his instincts. That little voice inside his head had yet to fail him. The voice of Jashin as he called it.

“Saku, baby, you look so adorable, that I could fist you right here and now,” he licked his lips still hoping to prove his instincts wrong.

She in response gave a smirk with raised eyebrows.

“I would see you try,” the woman laughed, but her eyes didn’t. Shit. Hidan could see at that moment, that his initial instinct was right. “Why are you drinking alone, Hidan?”

Despite how intoxicating it was to hear her say his name, the man was a bit turned off by Saku’s question. A bit being, that he no longer stared at her breasts. His erection had yet to subside.

“Because I’m fucking bored, bitch, and this,” he raised a half-empty bottle,” at least gives me a nice buzz.”

“I get that. But why alone? Why didn’t you invite me and Kakuzu to join you?”

“Aww, doll, you upset? I can make it up to you,” he smirked leaning even closer to her neck. His lips hovered over her deliciously milky skin. He didn’t push further or touch Saku in any other way. Hidan had patience and self-control and most of all respect for his goddess that he showed with actions rather than words.

“You didn’t answer my question,” she was persistent. Her green eyes looked up at Hidan with such earnest concern and determination, that the man had to pause. He was reminded of how gently she healed him before. She was an angel of death. Perfection.

Hidan wanted to stay quiet, but he no longer could resist Saku. Or maybe that was alcohol untying his tongue. The man spoke after gulping the rest of his drink.

“Hmm, you probably are the only one who could understand… hmmm… death is my existence… purpose… it is like walking with a cause but without a star to lead your way… but I have found my kin… but it's not enough… ” he rambled on eventually losing the track of his thought.

“You are making no sense,” she deadpanned and drank sake. Honestly, Hidan was rather impressed with the woman's tolerance for the drink. He probably shouldn’t be as surprised. She was special after all in all senses of the word.

“Good,” Hidan smiled widely as that was exactly what he was going for. Elude, hide, conceal and never ever share what exactly is happening inside your head. It was proving hard to resist Saku. All the man wanted at the moment was to please his little goddess of terror.

“Hidaaaaan, tell me,” she pouted with the most adorable puffed lips and eyes bigger than before. Hidan choked on his drink. He really wished to pass out now, but his immortal body would never allow it. So he was bound to answer her eventually.

“I think about pain…” that’s how it all started. When the first sentence came into existence, everything else followed. His cluttered thoughts, doubts, the strange relationship he had with the feeling of pain, and his struggle to comprehend it. Until eventually she asked what he wanted to hear the least…

“When did you start feeling that way about the pain inflicted on you?”

“Ahhahaha,” he laughed bitterly. This was not something he ever wanted to speak of. Yet he did. His goddess had the right to know everything and anything she wanted. “Maaan, it has been a while. Shit, I don’t even know how much time passed until I found my resolution in the darkness. The only way to survive was to accept pain. So I did. I ignored it at first when they prodded and poked at me…” even now remembering the months spent in captivity Hidan had a shiver run down his back. The torture was his maker. Hidan was born again from pain and blood. There was nothing left of his old self, but a shell. In his place then stood a follower of Jashin. That is when the voice inside his head first started to speak to him.

Saku was silent as she listened to his bleak story. There was something in her eyes that looked a lot like understanding. He wondered why… And then they drank. More than either of them should. They drank to drown out the thoughts and sorrow. 

She didn't show pity at him, only understanding, and Hidan’s heart fluttered with ease. He was relieved. The man never knew what a burden it was before he shared the darkest secrets of his.

“Bar is closing!” the innkeeper yelled at them. Hidan vaguely looked around to see only a few more drunks stumbling outside the bar beside him and Saku. How much time have they been here? He couldn’t tell, but he didn’t want to see Kakuzu yet.

“Yeah yeah, can you, handsome boy, give me a bottle to go?” Saku purred, batting her eyelashes at the merchant. Just like that they now stumbled outside into the darkness with a full bottle of sake to keep them content.

They stepped inside the inn and had to pay for a room, although Hidan swore that they had already paid… Damn cheapskate Kakuzu, he thought ignoring the fact that they mistakenly entered the wrong inn…

“Biiiiiitch, you’re assess is phenomenonnonomenal…” Hidan’s words slurred while he tried to keep his eyes steady on Saku’s rear as she walked in front of him. She laughed. He also laughed as they started to climb the stairs up.

“Hidan, you’re too drunk to fuck,” she smirked over her shoulder. The man was about to protest when his foot missed a step. 

_Hmmm… I probably drank over sixteen beers and now am rolling down the stairs clearly too drunk to fuck…_ he considered committing to the fall like some opportunity for contemplation. Hidan waited to feel the harsh contact with the ground, but it never came.

Instead what he felt was soft hands catching him from behind.

“Fuck, Hidan, I swear…” Saku muttered something behind him, while Hidan himself smiled stupidly. It felt rather nice to be hugged by her. His skin tingled. The man turned around in a spur of the moment decision and his hand stretched and grasped at her chest.

The two stood frozen for a second. Saku waited for him to comment on his action.

“What? I’m not too drunk to fuck,” he shrugged as nonchalantly as one could while still being held up by a tiny pink-haired woman.

She leaned slowly towards him. Hidan expected to be hit and be done with it, but it never came. Saku was now right by his ear. Her warm breath washed over his skin. She smelled of sake and peaches.

“Prove. It.” she whispered in the most seductive voice Hidan ever heard. The mood between them was something abnormal. Probably heavily encouraged by the openness he showed before in sharing his story, but the details didn’t matter much now. Hidan gulped as he took in the challenge she proposed.

“Fuuuck...” he breathed out shakily, forcing life back into his limbs. Carefully he took the woman into his arms and carried her into their room. He was quick. Anticipation was unbearable.

Saku had finally given him the consent he coveted for so long. Hidan felt like his mind was clouded with a haze and it was not the alcohol that was still left in his system. No. This time it was pure lust that made it hard for the man to think clearly.

The next moment of clearness, he already found himself on the bed on top of Saku and laying kisses up her leg.

Everything else that followed was more like a dream than reality. The way her lips parted when he reached under her skirt… The way her henge fell apart when he touched her deeper… And the way she gasped when he finally entered her…

Saku was moaning from pleasure and that was all he could ever ask for. At that moment he even ignored the scars he found on her back. The passion was too strong to stop and think about anything else but connecting with the woman in the most intimate way.

Saku never once kissed him or said his name in the heat of passion. Hidan was fine with that. Her pleas of ‘yes’ and ‘more’ were enough. So he obliged and fucked her perfect body until Saku had no choice but to cum with a strong orgasm, dragging him over the edge and into an abyss of pleasure with her.

━━━━━━━━━━

"Agh... I fuckin' hate you..." Hidan grumbled as he pushed Saku against the table with her shorts already down. The woman asked for it and he could not deny her eager request. Even though he knew what her compliance was - just a distraction.

He bent Saku down, so she now rested her perky breasts on the table giving him a nice view of her rear.

"You're the worst..." the man whispered gently stroking over the globe shape. She was smirking at him over her shoulder. Teasing him. Tempting him. She wiggled her ass a bit with encouragement.

"Go on, Hidan. Fuck me! I know you want me," her sweet voice didn't have to say it twice. Hidan bit his lip with his left hand sneaking into his pants to clasp the rock hard erection. With the right hand, he spread her cheeks apart and marveled at Saku's juices dripping down her leg. 

"You are insanely hot..." he gasped breathing already labored.

In the end, he was but a man. Immortal, but still human. He could not resist Saku. If she wanted to keep her secrets to herself, so be it. Hidan decided to just be there for her. Whatever she would need, he would provide. Would it be sex or an ear to listen. As long as she was happy...

"I will help you with your needs if you so desire, Saku," he declared and pushed forward allowing his body to burn in the exchange of passion and pleasure. She yelped out loud when he spread the inner walls with his cock. The feeling of pressure was mutual. Hidan had to pause to catch his breath. 

And so they fucked. Again. Instead of talking.

Hidan felt like he had lost and won at the same time. He felt blessed and doomed. Even the voice of Jashin kept quiet.

Knock Knock. There was a sound in the distance, Hidan heard it vaguely as his concentration was dedicated to keeping himself together for a bit longer. 

Both of them ignored the knock on Saku's apartment door in favor of proceeding with their... activity.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for this chapter being so late! I was rather busy with real-life things and wasn't feeling too great either, but this week should be much better for me 😊
> 
> P.S. The flashback in this chapter timewise happened in the middle of chapter 56.


	69. Three Tails

Knock. Knock.

An hour later the knock returned with better timing. Sakura pushed off Hidan’s chest where she was slumped for the last five minutes. Her forehead was covered with droplets of sweat. It was a nice exhausting fuck. Exactly what she needed.

Sakura felt the emotions within her now calm and distant proving the point she realized before - physical _activity_ is her vice. Desire is like an illness, choking her. And the only way to put it at bay is to embrace it.

Feeling someone close was like a remedy for Sakura’s soul. A cure almost. She felt wanted and needed. Even if it was just for a moment.

It was not the same as with _him_. Orochimaru was very good at putting her to sleep, but Hidan would have to do, for now. She wondered for a second if the snake would miss her. No, why would he? 

Another knock disrupted her thoughts. Sakura stood up from the position she was taken on top of Hidan. The man under her groaned unhappily.

Sakura slipped into her discarded clothing, feeling it stick to her sweaty skin. It was borderline nasty, but that is exactly how she felt inside for some reason. Sakura felt… dirty. It was fitting in her mind, for a person like _her_ to feel like this. 

Finally, the woman grabbed her cloak, pulled her mask up, and opened the door.

“Tobi,” she deadpanned a greeting to the masked figure standing behind her door. Sakura’s eyes were calm even if inside she cursed for having to work with the damned Uchiha. Her new nanny in other words. Just perfect.

“OHH! Saku-chan knows Tobi’s name??!” the man chirped in his childish voice.

“Mhm. Maaa, not that hard to guess, when you are wearing an Akatsuki cloak and we have not met before,” she rationally said slamming the door behind her and walking past the man. Tobi followed carefully as his sole eye left one last glance towards her apartment.

“Tobi came by before, but it sounded like Saku-chan was busy…” he played the role of a dumb child very well, she had to hand it to him. Thankfully, the woman was now in a calmer mood and therefore decided to play along instead of slashing his neck right away.

“Yeah, I was fucking Hidan. You have a problem with that?” she stared at the mask unapologetically trying to capture the Sharingan in her gaze, but it was hidden in the darkness.

“Oooooh! NO! NO! Tobi has no problems!” he waved his arms in an over the top gesture, but she still caught on to the small pause before his words. Sakura smirked as she stopped in her tracks. Slowly the woman turned to him and stepped closer, making Tobi step back in response.

“Really? Well, if you do have a problem with that, let me know, dear Tobi, and we’ll figure it out,” she winked suggestively, pretty sure he was as innocent as Nagato. But she’ll fix that, Sakura decided. What else could she do now? There was a void in her life now that needed to be filled.

“Tobi will be good,” the man whispered as she turned to walk away. Yet another Uchiha to meddle in her business, but she already had planned how to crush his existence if only from spite and the anger brought from her new situation.

Sakura was not a naive girl anymore. She knew that Obito still pulled strings behind Pain. She knew that Obito would not trust her anymore knowing about her powers and relationship with Orochimaru. So if he chose to watch over her, Sakura would make sure he regretted the decision.

“SAKU-CHAN! Wait up for Tobi! Where are we going??” he appeared literally from thin air before her. Sakura sidestepped without showing any surprise. She didn’t stop walking.

“We have a tailed beast to catch, Tobi, move your ass or I’ll move it for you,” she snapped with a clear undertone of mischief. Tobi did not fall behind after that.

━━━━━━━━━━

Land of Water.

Traveling with Tobi Sakura found rather nostalgic. He reminded her strongly of Naruto with the happy go lucky attitude of his, even though it was fake. It was hard to stay mad or annoyed at him.

She often reminded herself of the trouble any and all Uchiha brought to the whole existence of the human race and her hate would return like a tide.

“You’re a fuckin’ shit magnet,” she sighed when Tobi got kicked out of a tavern for his absurd loud mouth.

“Oh, did Tobi upset Saku-chan? Tobi didn’t mean to!” the man acted like a girl pleading for forgiveness. Sakura ignored it in favor of continuing her journey towards the damn lake…

She remembered the past. Their naive attempt at sealing the beast. It was laughable. The concern Sakura had at the moment, was facing Konoha shinobi once more. The only positive thing was that Tobi likely shared her sentiment in avoiding them. For now.

“Soooo, Saku-chan! Where are we going?” Tobi pranced on her left-hand side.

“Straight.”

“Mhm! Mhm! But how will we find a tailed beast?”

Sakura sighed with annoyance. It was a fake reaction. Inside her head, the woman laughed with anticipation barely kept to herself. She stopped and looked at Tobi.

“Are you an idiot? Did you do no research on tailed beasts?”

“Research?” he blinked. Ah, another strong nominee for the best actor award. The whole situation was absurd. The world was their stage and they were but actors following the plot and roles they had.

“Yeah! For fucks sake, am I stuck with another idiot?” she whined with another sigh. “Alright, listen carefully because I will not repeat myself,” she gave the hole in the man's mask a stern stare before she continued with the history lesson. A while back Sakura had found it when searching for the Two Tails leads.

“So the three tales was captured by Hashirama-sama and then gifted to Kiri. The idiots that they were, they for _some_ reason decided it would be a fuckin’ great idea to put the beast into this weakling Konoha kunoichi they captured. I think her name was Run or Rin or something. Anyways, the girl with her absolute stupidity and selfishness decided to kill herself instead of dealing properly with the beast. And then the beast was captured by…”

Sakura could feel that Tobi was no longer listening to her. He was eerily quiet and still, but she pretended not to notice the change in his posture. Until silence filled the space between the two when she finished the story of Isobu.

“So yeah, we’re going to the Land of Water. There is this temple with a lake, where Yagura supposedly stashed the beast.”

Tobi said nothing. She felt the weight of his gaze even without seeing his eye.

“Fuckin.. stupid… idiots… cannot handle some theory…” she mumbled dramatically turning away from him and continuing her walk.

Eventually, Tobi regained his composure and continued his act of an imbecile.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura just a moment ago was standing in a white thick fog, but now the woman found herself standing in a field of flowers. She heard cerebral voices all loudly calling her name. Her real name. Full name. 

_Sakura...Sakura… Sakura…_

At that moment she knew it had to be the tailed beasts genjutsu.

Urgently she disrupted her chakra flow in time to dodge a spiky tail headed her way. Tobi was running around like a headless chicken. Such commitment to his act, Sakura mused twirling in the air.

Ironically, her own commitment to the act she pulled for years was no less dedicated than Tobi’s. They were both fakes, she thought. Both betrayed Konoha. Both damaged and hurt. 

Her mouth tasted vial from just thinking how similar she was to Tobi. Of course, the woman could not be too surprised. She already knew that she was no good… 

The rest of the fight Sakura spent almost like in a haze. Tobi took over dealing the final blow to the beast. Good, she thought. It was supposed to be his catch after all.

There was that nagging feeling in her chest again. Something that clenched her throat. This followed by a strong urge to find the calm and warm embrace of one particular sannin. Carefully, Sakura pushed the feelings deep down and out of her mind. 

Pain had ordered her and she could not disobey even though her being felt the pull and need for the snake increase by every minute. Sakura inhaled deeply and followed Tobi back to their lair. Beast extraction could not wait any longer.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura laid on her bed in the pitch black darkness of her room. She stared at the ceiling emotionless. Usually, she would go to train or test something in her lab. But what was the point? Nothing she does will ever be good enough. 

She will always fail.

She is the worst.

She is a traitor.

She is weak.

The pain returned to her chest. 

She is alone and always will be alone.

Nobody will ever want her, because she always messes things up.

Just like in her past Konoha. Her present Konoha. Akatsuki. It was always the same - she pretends, she fails and she is left all alone. Death would be kinder than being lonely while in a crowd of people.

The thought struck like chakra scalpels deep through her mind and body. Everything seemed so meaningless and pointless. Why even bother killing Pain or stopping Tobi? Who cares what she does?

Maybe if she would just try to follow her orders, then she could die in the end alongside other Akatsuki. No. At least one thing remained the same - Sakura was not yet ready to lose a fight. Maybe she cannot have a home, friends, and things like that, but what she can do is fight.

Sleep did not come to her that night. When the first rays of sunshine threaded over the gray skies of Amegakure, Sakura rose and went to the training grounds. Mind blank and empty of any thoughts.

This is what Saku of this time would do - train. So she did.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sakura is not having a great time right now 😕  
> She is slowly spiraling into self-hatred and mild depression. Very reminiscent of her time in Konoha (both times). But there's nothing a good spar can't mend 😏


	70. Omake: Uchiha

Itachi did not know how to feel. He found himself in such a state often when it came to Saku. The woman baffled him to the very core. From the movement they first met, he could not tell if she was serious or just crazy.

To think that Orochimaru… of all the people out there… the snake was the one who tamed this pink beast. He partially believed her excuse about seeing the sannin. But there was this feeling in his gut that told him to look closer. Underneath the underneath.

The first wave of shock faded as it was washed over with disgust. To think that she would go this far just for some technique? No, that could not be it. 

Itachi calmed down after a while and decided not to wonder. Confronting Saku worked in the past so that is what he decided to do. His hand was raised, but before he could even knock, the door of Saku’s room opened. Yet it was not her who he faced.

“Hidan,” Itachi said calmly lowering his hand. 

“Uchiha. Fuck off, yeah? Saku is not here,” the immortal one waved him off as he stepped to the side and passed him.

“Then what are _you_ doing in her room?”

“She _was_ here,” the smile on Hidan’s lips was sly. He did not have to go into details. Itachi could smell her scent on him.

“Stay away from her.”

“OhoOHOHO! And what are you going to do if I don't, red eyes?” Hidan laughed crossing arms over his exposed chest.

Itachi glared with his eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

“Listen, Uchiha, my man, the little lady has needs, key? And I only help her,” he shrugged. The man’s behavior was layed back, but Itachi could see there was a tang of seriousness in those words. He wondered what exactly was going on between the two besides the obvious.

“Hn,” Itachi muttered and disappeared.

It was only a week later when he finally caught Saku alone in the training grounds. Actually, she came to him herself.

“Saku,” he greeted her calmly as he stood in the middle of the training grounds littered with shuriken and other weapons.

“Wanna spar, Itachi-kun?” she chirped with a smile that looked obviously fake.

The sharingan activated instantly. As usual, she did not avoid his gaze, making it easier for him to trap her into his dimension.

“Oh, you’re in _that_ mood,” she chuckled, but Itachi wasn’t laughing back. He was dead serious as he looked into her green eyes.

“Do you want to die so badly?” he asked straight. She blinked for a moment then tilted her head to the side.

“No?”

“Orochimaru will kill you.”

“Could be,” she shrugged nonchalantly. He couldn’t understand how the woman had absolutely zero self-preservation.

“I don’t understand,” he said honestly.

“Hey, you don’t have to understand. BUT, I think you would be happy to know that your little brother is no longer in the line to be Orochimaru’s new vessel!”

Itachi’s eyes widened as he inhaled sharply. Could it be… this was her reason for meddling with the snake? To… save his brother? He stayed silent processing her words and their implications carefully.

“You’re welcome,” she puffed her lips with arms crossed under her chest. Itachi noticed how the woman's eyes darted somewhere over his shoulder for one millisecond. There was nothing there, so what was she looking at?

“I see.” Itachi finally managed to say something. His mouth felt incredibly dry. “Orochimaru, huh? Is that why you stopped _approaching_ me? Because you were now working an angle on him?” and by ‘approaching’ he meant flirting.

He noticed that the girl had been distant from him for a while now. She took a long pause before answering.

“Aww, did you miss me?” she smirked with the same fake flirtatious smile of hers. It made Itachi angry. Just how far would she go for people who didn’t care for her? He was almost absolutely sure that Sasuke had not deserved her efforts. But he was still thankful in the end.

“Yes. You had become… distant.”

“Well, don’t be jealous now, Itachi-kun! I got my ninjutsu upgraded and now we can spar again!”

“Ninjutsu? If that is the only thing you needed, you could have come to me.”

“Hmm, very true. Yet, I have to admit,” she covered her mouth as if sharing a big secret,” Orochimaru is not only skilled in ninjutsu if you know what I mean.”

Itachi did not want to know, but he got the picture. Something he would pray to Sages to forget. Saku laughed at his tense appearance. 

“Aww, relax, Uchiha. How about a nice quick spar?” she suggested mischievously. He agreed as he did not want to continue their previous conversation. Heavens, he already felt guilty enough. And conflicted. And horrified. The least he could do is help her improve her skills instead of the sannin.

So they fought. Back in the training grounds of the real world they jumped and dashed. She was already stronger than he remembered. Actually forcing him to take this fight seriously.

At one point he was taken by surprise with a whip made out of water with surgical-like blades dangerously dangling at the end. They slashed his forearm like butter. Dangerous. Saku had become a strong and worthy opponent.

Another week passed until Itachi was summoned into Pain’s office. The odd thing was, that he was the only one. Kisame was not there.

“Leader-sama,” he gave a curt nod of respect.

“Itachi, as a former shinobi of Konoha I want to hear your thoughts on Danzo Shimura.”

Upon hearing _that_ name every cell in his body tensed. He barely managed to contain his sharingan and prevent it from activating.

“Why,” he forced a single word out with ice trickling of his voice.

“As he too deserted Konoha, Danzo has shown interest in working with Akatsuki.”

No. Fucking. Way. Was the only thought in Itachi’s head. For ten years he had been with Akatsuki, he never once went against Pain’s orders. Now he was not sure if he could stay here if Danzo came into the picture.

“No, Leader-sama. I have to respectfully disagree with such an idea. He is scum beyond any human comprehension.”

━━━━━━━━━━

Fugaku was conflicted. He was happy to know that his youngest son was safe from the snake, but at what cost? … _Sorry_ he whispered knowing she wouldn’t hear him, but maybe she could read it from his lips.

The man followed his eldest son thinking over the development he just learned. That is until he heard the name he cursed every day. Danzo.

Fugaku turned around and left to find Saku.

━━━━━━━━━━

For a while now Sasuke has been feeling Orochimaru lose interest in him. Their training sessions were sparse and the snake would rather work on yet another project beyond his comprehension. There was only one person to blame for this - Saku.

Somehow, his former teammate found a way to get to him even after he had left the village. That was beyond infuriating. The young man wondered if the whole display of affection the two showed was just a front and in fact, Orochimaru was training her.

One day Sasuke even considered seducing the snake himself if that would get him to the next level of power he craved. Unfortunately, the sannin only laughed at his immature attempt.

“Oh, Sassssuke-kun, this is veeeery adoooorable and I am flattered, but you could never match my Ssssaku in this area. Come to think of it, I am prrrretty sure sssshe would beat you in a fight too with easssse.”

Sasuke clenched his jaw and retreated before the snake changed his mind and attacked him instead of only reprimanding.

He sighed deeply and opened his eyes to the darkness of his room.

“What’s the matter, Sasuke?” Kabuto whispered to his ear.

“I am still too weak,” he admitted. It was easy to talk with his… companion. After the first month of their encounters, the pair practically moved in together in the same room. It only made sense as going back and forth between their rooms was simply a waste of time.

“Compared to whom?”

“You know,” Sasuke snapped, but then sighed. “Sorry. I just… she was always better than me. Even now. It’s as if I am always looking at her back. I stretch my arm to catch up with her, but she has already moved forwards. It is an endless cycle.”

“Hmmm, I wouldn’t worry about her too much, anymore at least,” the silver fox chuckled mischievously. Sasuke knew that sound very well. Not many things got Kabuto this excited and devious. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the pale face by his side.

“What did you do?” he asked curiously, no accusation in his tone.

“Well, Akatsuki are not that _fond_ of Orochimaru-sama after he left their organization. I wonder what they would do if they knew Saku’s affiliation with him.”

“You didn’t?!” Sasuke gasped and his lips stretched in a malicious grin.

“No comment,” Kabuto laughed and it was a wonderful sound to his ears. Sasuke joined in with his own, far more contained, laugh.

“I love you,” young Uchiha blurted out after catching his breath. Then he froze as his brain processed what he just said. He looked away as a light blush dusted his cheeks.

Kabuto’s hand found his cheek in the darkness and turned his head back to face the man. The dark eyes pierced him in place.

“Sasuke. I love you too,” he said as if it was a law of physics or any other undeniable truth. Kabuto leaned in and they kissed, sharing the tender moment. Almost forgetting the whole world that still existed behind these walls.

The chaste connection of their lips eventually grew in a passion-filled makeout session. Like always. Sasuke felt the man's hands roam his body and he felt whole. He felt content even. The sense of loneliness was no longer plaguing his essence.

“Kabuto…” he whispered with a moan when the man's hand slid over his chiseled chest down. They were already naked, as always. Sasuke couldn’t fight the hard erection he got from this small action. He didn’t want to fight it either.

Sasuke placed his knee between Kabutos legs, gently brushing over the excited area of his partner. He felt the man shiver and smirked pleased with the reaction he got.

The sex was great, like always.

Sasuke now laid spent with heavy breaths leaving his parted lips. There was still something he wanted to ask Kabuto. Yes, they got close, but the young Uchiha was not yet fully convinced where Kabuto’s alliances laid.

“Kabuto…” he whispered into the gray head of hair resting on his chest.

“Mhm?”

“Orochimaru will have to switch bodies soon?”

“Yes, it looks like it. Although, he is not as weak as I expected him to be by this time…”

“Hmmm… do you think he still intends to take my body?”

“Hmmm,” Kabuto didn’t answer, but he felt the man tense just a tiny bit. Sasuke gently brushed his hand over the man’s back in a soothing motion. The man relaxed. Such power in a single gesture…

“You can tell me,” he encouraged.

“I… really don’t know anymore. It actually is starting to look like he was serious about not taking your body, but that makes me wonder, what body will he use instead?”

“Would… he take you?” Sasuke asked carefully.

“No. I am too weak for that,” Kabuto smirked. Sasuke could feel the smile hovering over his chest. He let out a relieved breath.

“SO… hmmm, what if… what if I would kill Orochimaru?” he whispered.

“Hmmm, this probably is the best time to even try,” Kabuto actually considered his suggestion! Sasuke was even more relieved to hear that.

“So… you would be with me if you had to choose between me and him?”

“Yes.”

That is all he needed to hear. Sasuke smiled to himself as his hand brushed over the silver strands tickling his chest. 

It was time for Sasuke to test his strength and kill Orochimaru and then it would be Danzo’s turn. He allowed the darkness of sleep to take over his mind. Soon, his clan will be avenged.

━━━━━━━━━━

Obito was livid.

He had observed the new addition to his organization carefully, before allowing _her_ to hunt the tailed beasts. She was efficient and effective. Any shortcomings were found, solved, and eliminated with new unheard-of techniques.

Saku was a true prodigy. And yet she made him want to rip her apart despite the value she brought to Akatsuki. She **dared** to insult his Rin! Just who did she think she is to say that about his precious love? She knew nothing!

It took all of his self-control and compartmentalization skills to not kill her that moment on their journey to the Land of Water.

He could look over the fact she was corrupting other members with her womanly seduction techniques. As long as they all did their part, Obito could ignore what they did with each other. He even could understand why Saku was with Orochimaru.

The reanimation technique she demonstrated was something never before seen in this world and it would bring demise to anyone going against Akatsuki and his plan.

The girl was known for stealing other people’s techniques. The Tsunade’s trademark monstrous strength. The Kiri nin mist technique. The metal control, he observed just recently she demonstrated in the training grounds. She could almost be an Uchiha with her repertoire of skills.

Yet he still had a strong urge to see the pink-haired woman’s head on a spike. 

The bitch!

She had no shame of self-control. The lingering sense of sex coming off her was disturbing. Obito was conflicted as he could not place words on what the knowledge of her _activities_ combined with her radiant look made him feel.

He definitely wanted to rip her to shreds. But he also wanted her to submit to him. The thought was something new and Obito decided to push it to the back of his mind. He was not ready to unpack that box of weirdness just yet.

The plan was more important. There was a reason why Madara had entrusted him with this mission and no woman was going to distract him. That at least was his reasoning for spying on the woman.

Just to make sure she wasn’t up to anything… Yes, that’s the only reason, Obito said to himself as he silently watched her fuck with Hidan once more.

━━━━━━━━━━


	71. The Plot Thickens

They had sealed another tailed beast and Sakura was getting fidgety. That’s it. Only two left. She recalled the devastation Pain brought on Konoha at about this time. Tsunade… For a moment the woman's thoughts circled back to her teacher. 

But she could not allow herself to think about it anymore. It was too late for her to look back or change anything. Konoha was behind her. She was standing alone with a dreaded dark cloak over her shoulders.

Pain said nothing about attacking Konoha. Maybe he had changed his mind as none of Akatsuki have been murdered so far? She wondered on her way with Tobi to collect a bounty. Their money collecting missions were never-ending. She did not mind it one bit.

What she did mind, was fuckin Obito fuckin Uchiha! The bastard irked her on every move. Of course, she clapped back in a more subtle way. Provoking him with flirtatious remarks as she found that tacking highly effective.

Obito would freeze up lost on how to react and she would laugh at his expense. But that was child's play. The man was getting bolder every minute. And not the pleasant way she would not mind.

No. Obito started to invade her mind. Very carefully at first, but she still noticed. And his efforts were rewarded with her near-perfect memory recollection of nights spent with Orochimaru. She was curious what he wanted to achieve, so she didn’t comment on the fact she knew he was doing it. 

Sakura was patient. She could endure almost anything. 

Almost.

The snapping point was reached as they walked along the road across a forest. He appeared from thin air right in front of her jammering something unintelligible. It took one glance for Sakura to realize that she was placed under a genjutsu. Nothing was off except the minor chakra disturbance in her body.

She ignored it, curious to see what the man would do. Then she heard the little voice inside her head, that sounded very much like her own. Ha! That was his first mistake. Her inner thoughts were rather different from the way she spoke aloud, courtesy of Inners legacy.

 **Pain is so controlling…** another mistake, she realized as the voice spoke to her. She would never say Pain in her head. No, she knew his real name.

 **Locking me down like an animal??** she continued to listen. He was yet again mistaken. Sakura knew that she could leave with all the power she had. Nobody could stop her. Or would even try. If she wanted so, she could just leave with her soul and that was it. So yeah, ain’t nobody locked in here she carefully thought to herself in the secret and protected part of her mind, where all the darkest thoughts and memories of hers reside.

**I should kill him… who he is to command me???**

Sakura stopped mid-step. She slowly turned to Tobi, who also stopped a few steps behind her. Her eyes narrowed staring at the hole in his mask.

“Tobi, honey, are you practicing a new technique on me?” she said uncharacteristically sweet. There was real danger behind her green eyes. He _dared_ to plant such ideas into her mind??? Is this how he controlled Nagato?

“Oh? NO NO NO! Tobi is a good boy!” he waved his hands frantically keeping up the childish facade. Sakura stepped closer towards him. Her eyes creased into the fake eye smile.

“I. Do. Not. Appreciate. You. Testing. My. Loyalty. To. Leader-sama,” she then said giving him an excuse and a way out. She knew exactly what he was doing. He wanted to use her or get rid of her. Either would work for him. But she had a better plan in mind now that she knew his strategy.

That instant Tobi’s shoulders squared like on some occasions during a fight, where he would show a glimpse to his real self.

“Understood,” the voice cold and deep responded from behind the mask. She nodded as if they reached an understanding. Then she effortlessly disrupted the genjutsu and walked away. Tobi was back into his careless self.

━━━━━━━━━━

And there was calm again. Sakura hadn’t seen Nagato for a few weeks now. There were no talks about storming Konoha either. She knew that last time the fight killed Nagato, so in a way she was relieved. The problem was that she forgot about one little itsy bitsy detail.

Jiraiya.

So when a blast shook the whole tower, Sakura was curious. It was unusual to hear commotion at such a level. Training grounds were sealed to contain their destructive power. Meaning that something was happening not where it was supposed to be happening.

Like a good little Akatsuki she was, Sakura went to the noise, like a moth to the light. As she stood on the ledge looking down at the fight, the only thing she could say was a silent “Huh.”

Jiraiya was battling a couple of Pain’s paths. She considered staying on the sidelines and watch, but another idea popped into her head. Another piece to her plan of crushing Obitos plot.

With one snap of her fingers, Jiraiya froze along with his summons. Pain’s path looked in her direction with a questioning gaze.

“Leader-sama,” Sakura said as she jumped in front of him with the respect she usually didn’t show. Well, she had to put up a show in front of Jiraiya after all. And those toads.

“Leave him to me, Saku,” Pain ordered.

“Leader-sama,” she repeated staring intently at his ringed eyes. “I want to keep him. Alive. I need his knowledge of seals.”

Pain hummed as he considered her request.

“It is in regards to my suggestion from before. Just in case,” she shrugged with a mischievous smile tugging the corner of her lips. Pain’s eyes squinted just so much that Sakura could tell he recalled their discussion. 

“Fine. Dispose of him when he is no longer needed,” he nodded and disappeared in a gust of wind. 

_Excellent!_ She smirked and turned around to face Jiraiya who struggled against her blood jutsu. He definitely tried to kill her with his eyes and then some, but he was as helpless as a baby.

“Now now, Ero sannin, the longer you stay useful to me, the longer I will let you live,” she chirped happily.

With another snap of her fingers, the man fell to the ground as he was placed into a deep coma state. The toads fell down, very much continuous.

“Hmmm, now what to do with you two?” she crouched low. Killing summons didn’t feel right, but she couldn’t let them return to Konoha.

The decision was made for her when her rational mind considered all options. She summoned Mokuhi and smiled at the bird.

“Dinner time, my friend, hope you like toads,” she smirked leaving her summon to deal with summons. It was only fair, she thought, letting their kind settle things. 

Sakura herself grabbed the cuff of Jiraiya's shirt and dragged him down to her labs. Surely a master of seals the toad sannin was, could figure out a seal formidable for a Moon, right?

━━━━━━━━━━

Orochimaru stood up from a pile of translucent skin he just shed. Finally. After endless weeks of work, he reached his goal. Standing tall he extended his arm forward and flexed it with curious eyes tracking every minuscule move of his cells.

His previous vessel now laied on the floor discarded and disintegrating into dust. _The useless thing could never compare to… this!_ He thought triumphantly as his golden eyes shined in the darkness. _This_ was his true body. His real body. His original form.

Infused with Uchiha blood and various other DNA samples, the snake still felt the superiority of his original. The muscles and bones felt glorious and he didn’t even realize that he missed this feeling. The feeling of himself. 

His victorious moment was interrupted by a sudden burst of electricity through his door in a spear-like form targeted to his chest. With a wicked grin, Orochimaru grabbed the Chidori stream with his _bare_ hand and stopped it in its tracks.

“Foooooolish boy. My wind nature issss far more superior to your lightning,” he cackled as the door fell to bits on the ground to reveal a wide-eye Uchiha behind it. The lightning disappeared. Sasuke leaped back with his eyes spinning wildly.

“How? You are different!” insolent brat demanded answers that sannin was not about to give him. No, he learned from Saku a lot. Revealing one’s techniques was not wise. This silly outburst only proved the woman right again - Sasuke would have never been the right vessel for him.

“That issss beyond your little face unharrrrmed with intellect,” the snake smirked, crossing arms over his chest. He could snap the boy in two at his current state, but what was the point? He sighed. The silence was annoying. Snake-like eyes snapped at the Uchiha impatient.

“Is that aaaall you wanted, Sassssuke?” 

The young boy stood silent in a defensive position. Orochimaru sighed once more.

“If that issss all, I have better thingssss to do,” he nonchalantly stepped over the former door of his and turned to leave without a single ounce of hesitation turning his back to the Uchiha. Snake felt invincible once more. Young and powerful like he was in his prime. 

“You are really not taking me as your vessel anymore?” he heard a demanding voice behind him.

“Asssstute observation,” Orochimaru snarled with sarcasm. 

“Then I am leaving. There is nothing more for me to learn from you,” Sasuke all but yelled not fooling anyone with the fake confidence he tried to show.

“Do assss you wish. I have no neeeeed for you anymore,” Orochimaru waved his hand without turning around as if dismissing a servant. 

“And I am releasing your prisoners!”

At that Orochimaru paused. First instinct was to smack the foolishness out of the young Uchiha’s head, but then he thought better of it. With the technique he developed in cloning his own body, there was no need to continue work on the curse mark project. He had all the time in the world now. So he laughed.

“Surrrreee, do that if you darrrre to face them,” he said without even looking back.

Orochimaru walked away. He did have all the time he wanted, but there was something he could not wait for anymore.

How long has it been since he locked himself away in the labs? Week? Two? Or maybe even three? He couldn’t tell just yet. But he felt it had been too long. His mind circled around the familiar face. Saku. He wanted to see her. To show her his achievement. He wanted to impress her. 

In no time, Orochimaru found Kabuto in one of the labs.

“How long wassss I working for, Kabuto?” he asked without a greeting. The boy with grey hair paused mid incision he was making on a corpse. His eye’s glimmered and widened as he took in the sight of his master. Orochimaru tsk’ed his tongue impatiently waiting for an answer.

“28 days, My Lord,” Kabuto whispered, unable to divert his eyes.

“Hmmm, longer than I exxxxxxpected,” he sighed, but that was to be expected. “Has sssshe tried to contact me?” he asked again. This time the response came instantly.

“No.”

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes with suspicion. He tasted fear and elevated heart right in the air. Kabuto, the scheming fox he was, was hiding something. In less than a blink, sannin was before his follower, hand clasped over his neck.

“You wouldn’t liiiiie to me, would you, Kabutoooo?”

“Of course not, Lord Orochimaru,” the boy rasped, struggling to breathe. Orochimaru was not convinced, but let it slide for once. It will be just faster if he contacted her himself. Still a bit suspicious he relaxed the hold dropping Kabuto to the ground. He turned to leave when a shaky voice reached him.

“Is… is he dead?”

Orochimaru chuckled. Ah, now it was clear to him. Seeing him and not Sasuke enter the lab was what scared the boy.

“Myyyyy, Kabuto, when did you grow so concerrrrrned over Sasuke? I remember you loathing the boy just recccccently,” he mused glancing back. “Well, why don’t you go and sssssee for yourself. And fix my door, won’t you, while you’rrrrre at it,” the sannin smirked mischievously as he left the room.

In no time he had summoned one of his snakes and sent a message to Saku. It was ridiculous to keep such distance from her, but Akatsuki could be troublesome if they intervened between them.

And troublesome it was. A week passed without any response and Orochimaru was getting impatient. He summoned another snake of his to check what had happened and that is when he got the news.

His first messenger had been killed. By Pain.

Orochimaru could pretend and explain it as an accident, but he was no fool. It was only a matter of time before Akatsuki found out about his little messages. They probably connected the dots, he guessed. Knowing Saku, she would not cower to admit their connection, as their previous displays of affection in front of others did not bother her.

He wondered if they would try to kill her for a second. NO. The thought was smashed quicker than Senju losing their shit over Uchiha. Even if they tried, she could escape and be welcomed here in his arms, Orochimaru reasoned. But she didn’t show up, meaning that she was well.

"She had to be," he said to himself as if it were a fact. There was a pang of worry in his chest. SOmething rather unfamiliar to him, but not unwelcome. 

There was and could never be any other explanation for her absence or the strange way she left him the last time. Orochimaru simply did not accept it. His love was blind. Rage took over as he considered Akatsuki keeping Saku away from him.

Annoyed and irritated, Orochimaru reigned in his killing intent that literally made the walls around him crack. He had to think clearly. No mistakes were allowed when it concerned his Saku. 

Lost in his thoughts, Orochimaru didn’t even acknowledge that Kabuto was long gone together with Sasuke. He didn’t care about anything but her. He was determined to get her back. To hug her again. To hold her in his arms. To see her sleep by his side. 

That is until his low-level spies returned with rather interesting intel… Then the plan he concocted had to be rethought and changed completely. 

“Hmmm, this is going to be interesting,” he hissed sensing bloodlust in the air. A storm was coming. No, a war.

━━━━━━━━━━


	72. Omake: K for Are You Okay?

“YES!” a gentle voice rang over the bare room she was in. Konan dropped her head back, eyes closing shut from pleasure. _This_ was something new. The prodding of a tongue deep within her core sent all kinds of sensations over her body.

She was hesitant at first to comply and outright refused when Nagato dipped his head between her thighs. Konan could not possibly accept him lowering like that for her. But of course, his wishes were command she had to obey. Then the first lick startled her from any leftover doubts.

Dropping to her knees was something Konan grew used to doing. She enjoyed pleasing Nagato. Especially when he was giving orders to other Akatsuki members via his Pains. Only a hand nuzzled in her hair showed the emotions the man was going through. Pleasure. Lust. Annoyance. Amusement. 

She would smirk and look up, forcing his self-control to hide any reaction that could bleed to his Pains. Sometimes, other members would ask why she is not participating in their meetings.

“Konan is on a mission,” he would say with a pointed stare down and a smirk tugging his real lips directed at her. Yes, she was on a mission to get her dessert. This was normal. This was what she expected. Pleasuring Nagato made her feel contempt.

Yet, when he did that to her… Konan’s brain was blown away. Was this paradise? Could he possibly feel the same when on the receiving end of a blowjob? She wondered absentmindedly as her skin tingled with an ever-growing sensation between her legs. 

“Nagato!” she inhaled sharply when his lips shifted to suck on her sensitive clit. Then she felt something foreign enter her again. It took a moment before she realized it was his fingers. Her back arched responding to Nagato’s ministrations.

“Aghhg..” she moaned incoherently. The edge of the cliff she was walking grew closer. Her inner walls fluttered when she felt him expand and curl the digits inside her while still teasing the sensitive spot outside her pussy.

Konan could not endure it any longer. Her body shattered under him with the full force of the orgasm that washed over her. Trying to catch her breath, Konan vaguely noticed that Nagato was still pumping his fingers to stretch her moment of pleasure.

She looked down with glazed-over eyes to find him staring up at her. Their eyes met. She blushed knowing how it must look for him. It was her job to please her god! Not the other way around, yet the woman felt blessed at this sudden change of things.

Nagato proceeded to leave fleeting kisses on her body as he rose up to lay next to her. His strong arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer to his broad chest.

“Are you okay, Konan?” he whispered into her ear. The fanning of his hot breath on her neck sent another wave of shivers. It wouldn’t stop. The orgasm was just so strong, that its effects lingered still. Konan could only make a shaky nod as her lips trembled, probably from the lack of blood circulating the upper portion of her body.

“Good,” he said leaving another trail of kisses on her shoulder.

“Nagato…” she breathed out. “I… I thought you were still mad with me?” she whispered.

“Never,” the sureness of his voice calmed her unsettled heart.

“But, it was my fault… I allowed her to... Do _things_ outside the village.”

“And why did you do that?” he repeated the same question he had already asked before. Konan’s cheeks blushed and her voice was small when she spoke the same response as before.

“Because… I did not want her with you… because I wanted you all for myself…” it was embarrassing to say it out loud. She was only glad that her back was turned to him this time.

“Exactly. I could never be mad at such reasoning, my dear,” her heart positively raced.

“But… do you really believe her alliance to you?” she still had reservations about the wretched woman. Saku was the bane of her existence more often than not.

“Yes. If Saku wanted to harm me, she would have already done so. You know the extent of her skills,” Konan could not deny that. She was amazed and horrified all at the same time when she learned how easily Saku could kill each and every one of them. One time Nagato had shared this information. She still wondered why Saku did the things she did. There was a feeling in her gut, that Nagato knew. So she tried her luck carefully.

“But why is she so loyal to you? Why do you believe that Orochimaru has not swayed her?”

“Saku is… a creature of habit. She does what she has learned to do over the years. Her attraction towards the vile excuse of a being that is Orochimaru is only a byproduct of the abuse she grew up with.”

Konan stayed silent thinking over his words. She was right, Nagato knew something more about that woman. But still… Orochimaru? Of all the rouge nin…

“Abuse?” she asked carefully.

“Mhm…” he murmured, nuzzling deeper in the crook of her neck. Konan sighed as the tingling returned to her body from the simple action. Then she felt him sigh. “Saku… she is hurt and still hurting. Despite how intelligent she is, the woman is still very much oblivious to her feelings. Covered herself in deep denial. Very much like I was before she healed me,” Nagato added.

“So, will she really obey your orders to stay away from the snake?”

“Yes. Hidan is keeping her distracted for now.”

Konan turned to look over her shoulder. Eyes wide with surprise. “Hidan?” she gasped.

“Mhm. She will obey me, but she said it herself, her body has needs. Needs that are beyond reason. So it is better if they will be settled here, in Amegakure.”

“So what? Are you implying she is some kind of whore? Or a nymphomaniac?” Konan really tried to wrap her head around this whole situation, but it only brought a headache.

“No. It goes far deeper than that. The need she has is the only thing that makes sense to her. That is _normal_ to her,” she heard distaste in Nagato’s words and had to wonder what else did he knew about Saku.

“I… don’t understand it…”

“You don’t have to, Konan. Trust me,” he said gently.

“But… doesn’t that make her unreliable to us?”

“No. She is Akatsuki. Part of _our_ family. She would not do anything to jeopardize that. It will only take some time for her to heal.”

“Heal from what?” she pushed with curiosity letting her mouth run.

“Pain. Abuse. Hurt. Loneliness,” Nagato sighed again and now rested his forehead on her back between her shoulder blades.

“What about Orochimaru? He did not look... pleased when she summoned him…”

“Ah, well I highly doubt that the snake cares one way or the other.”

“There I can agree with you,” Konan smiled gently and relaxed in the embrace. Yes, she would trust Nagato.

━━━━━━━━━━

Kakuzu was disappointed. With himself. With Saku. Hell, even with Orochimaru for allowing himself to fall into the woman’s trap. How, he still could not comprehend. He was not okay with the development!

Yet, begrudgingly, the man still opened his bingo book and upped the amount for Saku he had calculated before. She one day will become his most prized possession. A heart so strong and deadly, that men fall to her feet and they feel so small next to her (and they love it).

Time passed. Days. Weeks. He didn’t cross paths with Saku. She apparently now had an official partner and it annoyed him on some level. But that was life. People come and go. He would not dwell on losing a partner that he could actually tolerate.

Talking about partners. Hidan was acting odd. Well, odder than usual. The man was more subdued and level-headed and it unsettled Kakuzu on a deep level. He considered a genjutsu or brainwashing before Kakuzu finally gave in and found himself walking towards Hidan’s room.

Before he could raise a hand to knock, a door opened and a pink head of hair greeted him. Kakuzu froze as his eyes zeroed in on the woman before him. She yawned and waved at him before leaving without saying another word. The door was left open. 

Kakuzu almost expected to see a massacre and a pool of blood inside. Unfortunately, the stars were not so smiling for him today. What he found inside, was Hidan wrapped in a towel over his hips, looking very much as tired as Saku.

“You didn’t,” Kakuzu snarled, one hand grasped to the table that was next to him for support. He really didn’t care when his partner went loose outside of the organization. But with Saku… it was just wrong. 

“Fuck yeah we did. In fact, we did it on that table too,” Hidan laughed without an ounce of shame.

Kakuzu pulled his hand away as if burned by the wood he touched. 

“Imbecile! You have no moral restraints!”

“Fuckin’ obviously,” the infuriating man rolled his eyes. Kakuzu felt the rage bubbling under his skin. Or maybe it was only the tendrils growing restless.

“HIDAN! You are not to touch Saku ever again! Let it be the one and only time,” he threatened with a voice scratch low.

“HAHHAHAhahaha! We’ve been fuckin for weeks now, my dear Kakuzu,” and the Jashini’s looked proud as he shared this detail. “Why do you even care?”

Kakuzu took a deep breath. He had promised Pain not to destroy any part of their hideout, but it might get difficult if Hidan continued sharing details of his rendezvous with Saku. Why did he care? The old shinobi had to pause and think about it.

“I don’t,” he spat out angrily and left before anything else could be said or done. Kakuzu rushed somewhere… anywhere away from Hidan!

He wanted to bump the RYO amount for Saku down, but the rational part of his mind did not allow for it. The fury within him stirred and boiled slowly.

With every heart beating in his body, Kakuzu wanted to smack some sanity into Hidan. In his eyes, touching Saku was like touching… _family_. Unacceptable. Yes, he despised her for indulging with a snake, but that was her choice, which eventually landed her with a very dangerous technique. He could not argue the value behind her actions.

But Hidan… no. Just no. After taking a couple more deep breaths, Kakuzu turned on his heel and went back to find the immortal deviant. Someone has to teach him about the fragile balance in their circle.

That is when he was stopped by a letter brought by one of his spies summons. Strange, they usually didn’t contact him first. The man tried to remember if he had tasked the spy to do something, but nothing came to mind.

Impatiently he reached an arm for the scroll. Inside it Kakuzu found an interesting development:

_Kage summit happened. Hidden villages are creating an alliance._

With one last curse, Kakuzu turned again and went to the direction of Pain’s office. This news would be troublesome for the organization.

━━━━━━━━━━

Kisame enjoyed his fair share of drama. It made life interesting, what else could he say? Saku was like a gold mine at this point. The shock of her lovers' reveal was something he recalled for days after it happened.

He had to know more and so the man found time to catch the kunoichi in her labs after a few weeks. He entered the room without knocking. 

“AKUMA’S SPAWN! I WILL KILL YOU! GET AWAY FROM ME DEVIL!” a voice roared. Kisame’s smile went only wider as he looked around for the source of the noise. 

Abruptly the curses were silenced as a door shut in the far right. Saku stood facing him with a deadpan look on her face as she adjusted her cloak. Kisame noted the absurd amount of seals covering the wall and door behind the woman.

 _Oh boy…_ he chuckled darkly.

“What do you have there, pinky?”

“None of your business,” she shot back walking to her table. 

It was definitely _not_ nothing. He wondered if she was testing yet another reincarnation or a whole different technique? Either way, behind the closed door, was one unhappy prisoner. The poor soul was right to call her a devil.

 _A tiny cute pink devil,_ he added in his mind looking at Saku with adoration, respect, and warmth. Kisame never could resist the deadly things in life.

“Need anything, shark man?” she asked, not even looking his way. 

“Nah, just checking how ya’ holding up,” he shrugged, settling to rest on one of her autopsy tables. At that, Saku turned to look him dead in the eyes.

“Why?”

“Because I care about you, pinky!” the man chirped happily, but he noticed the way the woman cringed at his words. And he did care. About the gossip. Okay, and her too. Even though Saku did not show any signs of distress, Kisame noticed how pale and tired she looked. Not at all as giddy and glowing as before the shit went down.

“Yeah…”

“Sooooo, no pining over Orochimaru, huh?”

“I’m all good already,” she waved him off, but the words she chose told a lot to Kisame. _Already._ SO she was not good before. And probably still is not. 

“Ouch, so moved on it’s scary!” he shivered dramatically, but the words he said were true. For a person to move on without any reservations like that was telling of a couple of possible things. A) IT was only a fuck, like she claimed. B) Poor snake was replaced. C) She was lying.

Kisame did not miss how Orochimaru acted when he was summoned. There was obviously something more between the two. He doubted that Saku would find a replacement so soon. Scratch that. She most definitely would, if he could tell anything by the way this woman dodged, avoided, deflected, or simply left in denial things she did not like. And of course, it all could be a lie.

With thrilling anticipation, Kisame contemplated what could be happening here. There were so many questions he wanted to ask, but pushing his luck with an agitated and sex-deprived kunoichi could be a dangerous task.

“Soooo, new technique, huh? It’s almost like you have Sharingan with the way you copy jutsu,” he mused carefully.

Saku let out a sigh and turned again towards him. Eyes very dead and cold as stone.

“Sometimes you learn jutsu. Sometimes you create jutsu. And sometimes you have to rob and steal it.”

“Mmmmmm. Interesting, pinky. Very interesting."

Kisame continued to poke and prod the woman he grew fond of. Silently he appreciated her existence and presence in Akatsuki. Now if only he could figure out who was she torturing now and who was she fucking in Orochimaru's stead. Could it be one and the same person? Kisame had to cover his mouth to hide the laughter.

 _Saku... Saku... Saku. The gift that keeps on giving! OH, I will have to tell on you to Leader-sama. You are not fooling me with the 'I'm okay' act. Itachi does it way better..._ Kisame wondered watching her work.

━━━━━━━━━━


	73. Love is...

Sakura sat on her bed staring at the rain outside her windows. She felt empty and numb. There were also no clouds to observe as the whole sky was covered in a thick gray blanket. The more time passed, the more restless she got.

That would be fine if only she knew why. Her missions were going well even if Tobi kept prodding at her mind, more discreetly now. Nagato was also well and healthy, showing no intentions of storming Konoha.

Akatsuki were well. All alive. Sakura sighed. So what was she missing? One minute she would feel an enormous level of sadness clenching her chest, the next it would be gone. Probably bottled away deep in her core.

A door opened and closed. She heard his steps before Hidan approached her from behind. He learned to be less vocal over their… sessions.

Sakura felt him lean closer to place a kiss on her shoulder.

“Not now,” she exhaled.

“Hmm? The fuck not?”

“I’m watching the rain,” she answered with the melancholy still clouding her mind.

There was a pause before Hidan opened his mouth again.

“Soo, let’s do it doggy style, and then we both can watch the fuckin rain?”

Sakura blinked and turned to glance over her shoulder stunned.

“I swear. You are either a genius or an idiot. No in-between.”

“So, that’s a yes?”

Another long exhale and she nodded giving her consent. Sometimes she wished he would just go for it instead of asking her permission. That was just… odd.

With her clear approval, Hidan shrugged off his cloak and pants. Like always, his chest was already bare. Sakura lazily watched him undress. The man had a nice figure. Broad shoulders. He wasn’t as tall as… no! She instantly cut off that train of thought, where her mind sometimes would compare her two lovers.

She sometimes missed the piercing golden eyes… Or the long silky hair… The tired smile she would wake up to see on his pale face… The way his eyebrows arched when she would suggest more preposterous ideas…

NO!

Shaking her head slightly, the woman followed suit and took off her shorts. Now on all fours, facing the window, she waited for the release to come.

Hidan was gentle, as he approached her from the back. His rough hands brushed softly over her skin before he inevitably buried himself within her wet folds. Sakura let out a shaky moan, but it was more like a reflex caused by the stimulation.

The pleasure she got was… dull. She could barely even call it pleasure, to be fair. More like means to an end. So they fucked more or less in silence. Both being rather tame compared to their previous times together.

After some time, when the passion had risen a few notches, the position was changed. Sakura’s head was still tilted to the side so she could see the rain. It calmed her down. Distracted her mind from picking apart the emotions that stirred within her.

Eventually, it got dark outside and she could no longer make out what was happening behind her windows. Only the sound of trickling water gave away that nothing had changed.

Hidan was now proceeding with his after sex care. He kissed her body like she was some fucking fragile glass doll. Sakura got angry for a second before the feeling faded. She wasn’t angry at him…

All things aside, the woman felt safe in Hidan’s company. That is why she allowed her mind to wonder. She felt increasingly empty inside. And not because she was literally empty at the moment. The feeling was there even when Hidan fucked her.

Sakura felt a strange wetness trickle down her cheek. She blinked a couple of times noticing her gaze blur. What was happening? For a second she was lost until her brain made sense of this - she was crying.

She was sincerely shocked to realize it. Yes, there was sadness, but she had not let out a single tear for years. So why now? Why was she crying when a good man, her friend, and her partner was kissing her?

“Shhh,” Hidan murmured as his hand brushed off a tear from her cheek. Sakura blinked, unable to control it. New tears appeared in the corners of her eyes.

“What… I-I.. don’t understand…” she whispered trying to control her shaky voice.

Hidan shifted and now laid by her side, resting his back on the bed frame. His big arms embraced the woman tightly.

“It’s okay, babe, I get it,” he whispered back. Hidan was brushing calming circles over her back and shoulder, but it only made Sakura cry more.

“Why? What? I don’t understand,” she whined completely lost. What was so obvious that even he knew, but she didn’t? The woman looked up pleading with her eyes to be enlightened.

“I know a thing or two about sacrifice, Saku,” he responded. That only made her eyebrows scrunch in confusion. “I am not the one you want to be with, right?”

Sakura tilted her head. The slow tears rolling down her cheeks left hot tracks. She felt them drip down her chin and onto her exposed chest.

“What? No…” she said weakly. Her head hurt. Nothing made sense. There was only sorrow shaking her body. 

“It’s fine. I always kinda knew it,” the smile on his handsome face was bitter. 

She didn’t comment as her mind was hazy and confused beyond repair. 

“Listen. In life, you have to find someone you love. Someone that makes you better. Someone that makes you feel like you matter. Someone you could be with forever. And we both know who that someone is for you.”

“Who?” Sakura blinked feeling like the most stupid person in the room. It was a genuine question on her part.

“Orochimaru,” Hidan said the name simply, as an undeniable truth of their realm.

“You’re wrong,” she shook her head, but not as certain as she wanted. There was a careful thought in her mind that brought back images of the mentioned man. The way he made her feel calm and at ease. The way they could speak for hours. The way she anticipated to return to him.

“Am I?”

“...”

“You’re such a fuckin idiot, Saku,” he chuckled. “Gosh, you make it so obvious that you are pretending not to be in love.”

She blinked gobstruck. _In… love?_ That never crossed her mind. Never in this life or even in the past. She always felt love-impaired, when watching others fall for the unknown feeling. So how could she be sure of what the truth was? How could she know what love is?

And most importantly of all, how did Hidan know? He had to be wrong. So that is what she said.

“You’re wrong. I’m not…” ah, she couldn't even say it out loud.

“Yeah yeah… so why then would you be crying now, huh?”

He had a point there, but she was not that easily convinced.

“But… but… I cannot be… I am…” Sakura silenced herself before voicing the names and labels her mind cycled over and over again.

“Hmm? What was that?” Hidan poked her rib, but she kept her mouth shut. The man had to know, so there was no reason to say it. He kept poking.

“I’m… nothing! Okay? I am just a fuckin slut that needs a dick once in a while, that’s all. That’s not love,” she spat out angrily. At least her tears calmed down.

Hidan was silent and Sakura had to look up, hoping to see the disgust or at least an understanding in the man’s eyes. Instead what she saw was a pair of deeply saddened purple orbs.

“Saku… why do you say that?” he asked carefully. 

“Because that’s the truth, Kami fuckin damn it!” she crossed her arms. Hidan stirred and only hugged her tighter.

“Whatever trash told you that is fuckin wrong, you hear me? Because, Saku, I doubt you came to such a conclusion on your own.”

The level of insightfulness yet again stunned her. Sakura indeed was convinced of her worth a long time ago. By her village. By her teammates. By Sasuke. By… her father. Silence.

“Fucking hell. Of course, you are in denial if you think like that of yourself,” he cursed loudly before taking a series of deep breaths to calm down. Sakura didn’t respond until Hidan reached for her chin and tilted it up.

“Saku. Listen. If you cannot love yourself how the hell are you gonna love somebody else? Don’t you want to feel love and be loved?”

“What even is love?” she asked. Her mind was too tired by now to argue. The heaviness of her tears created a sense that dragged her body down. She just wanted to roll away and sleep. To forget about everything. But it didn’t look like Hidan was ready to let her go yet. It was easier to indulge him rather than arguing.

The man exhaled, dropping his hand. The two purple eyes looked in the distance.

“Love is… like the sunlight. It warms you from inside. It makes your heart flutter,” he talked like a character from a romance novel. Sakura wanted to laugh or roll her eyes but didn’t. The treacherous brain of hers reminded of said feelings she once felt… When the golden eyes looked at her… when long white fingers brushed the hair out of her face… when _he_ smiled at her…

“I’m sorry, Hidan,” why on earth did she say that? Sakura wasn’t quite sure, but she did say it and she meant it. Maybe he was right… and if he was… then her actions or rather use of the immortal man was rather cruel. She considered him a friend. And she hurt him. Like always.

Her head was dropped down, tears threatening to fall again. 

She was the worst. Hurting everyone and anyone around her. Hidan was good to her and she used him.

“Pinky, don’t pull that shit on me again!” she looked up surprised. He didn’t sound angry.

“But…”

“Yeah yeah, it’s not like I said anything before to you. And I was very well aware that you took advantage of my poor innocent body,” he plastered a fake sense of hurt on his face that made Sakura smile.

“So, you’re not mad at me?”

“Idiot, fucking idiot you truly are, Saku!” he laughed with that contagious sound making her chuckle too.

“I am your friend, pinky. And if you needed a good fuck to get your shit together, I was glad to be of help,” he winked at her and Sakura felt her chest breathe with ease for once. Friend.

“I don’t think I have anything together,” she sighed resting her head on Hidan’s chest.

“Mmmm, leader cockblocked you, right?”

“You could say that…”

“As if anyone could stop you, little monster.”

“You’re not wrong there,” Sakura hummed, lavishing in the way her mind calmed down. Every feeling and thought that tormented her now found a neat and tidy box with a label ‘Love’.

“So, what are you going to do, Saku?”

“I don’t know yet... “

“Hmmm, maybe you should fuck up Pain’s shit as payback or until he caves?”

“Oh, that’s a great idea,” a devilish grin tugged at her lips. Of course, she was thinking of something else, then what Hidan had in mind. It would be too easy to mess with Nagato and Konan. And easy to fix too.

No, she could mess things on a far bigger scale if she wanted to.

Akatsuki crushed and disbanded would give her a chance to flee. But she paused there as rational thoughts did what they did best - question things.

“But... even if… I feel like that about him… I doubt Orochimaru does…” her tongue had difficulty voicing the concern that bubbled in her head.

“STUPID!” Hidan poked her head harshly. “If that dude hadn’t killed or tried to kill you yet, I am pretty sure he likes you,” the man deducted sagely. “From what I heard of him, Orochimaru does not simply allow anyone to be in his near vicinity. Not to mention, fuck him to oblivion, which I have no doubt you did. I would know,” he chuckled and there was no bite or bitterness when he spoke now.

“Thank you, Hidan,” Sakura said honestly as she hugged him for the last time before untangling. Enough was enough. She felt light as a feather and finally knew what she had to do.

“Don’t mention it, Pinky. Just invite me to your wedding or something,” he shrugged, shuffling off the bed as well.

They dressed in comfortable silence. After one last hug, they parted. Hidan forced her to promise never to say or even think such things of herself anymore. Sakura wasn’t sure that she could, but she would try. For her friend.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let us all praise Jashin for his follower had done the god's work! Ahh, Hidan, I wish you long life, you precious little thing <3
> 
> P.S. Yes, I used that reference! Sorry, not sorry :D If you know, you know.


	74. Know Your Place

Sakura strolled down the cobbled street of Amegakure lost in her thoughts. She had to plan her next moves carefully if she really wanted to get out of Akatsuki without killing her friends. Nagato would not let her go easily. That is if Obito wouldn’t kill him before that.

Obito. It always circles back to the Uchiha. The only solution was to get rid of him thus allowing her to leave as well.

“How can I help you, Shinobi-san?” a tubby old woman smiled at Sakura with respect to her Akatsuki cloak. She just stepped into one of the clothing stores in the merchant's district.

“Yes, I need to freshen up my wardrobe,” Sakura answered with her own smile not hidden by the mask. In Ame she didn’t bother to cover her face. Why did she continue covering it in the first place? The woman wondered as she lazily looked over the shirts and Kimono’s on display.

“Ah if I may suggest,” the woman hurried to show her some options. Sakura had to admit, they all matched her complexion and hair well. Truthfully, she didn’t really need a new look, but she wanted one.

Something in her mind told her, that if her plan goes as she wants it, it will be a long while before she is back in Amegakure if at all. So Sakura wanted to have one last thing that could remind her of the place she called home.

After an hour of changing and matching, Sakura purchased a dark top, similar to the one she wore now. It was off the shoulders and had long flaring sleeves, perfect to hide any hand signs. It was paired with pastel pink and red obi fastened to the waist, where she could easily hide senbon or kunai between the folds. Or poison.

The skirt was the same dark color as the top. It went almost to below her knees with two long slits going up to her thighs for easy movement. Simple, delicate, and completely her style. Leaving a generous tip on top of the paid amount, Sakura left the store and inhaled the fresh air.

Hidan shook her world, not for the first time. He was born to preach and she was his disciple. She realized then, that she had never been in love before. 

“What the fuck are these fuckin feelings…” she whispered, shaking her head. Sakura was just glad that she was not as hopeless as Sai in the emotions department. She knew emotions, their meaning, and description in the dictionary.

Yet with all that knowledge, Sakura never tried to understand what she was feeling. Instead, she would show the emotions that were expected of her. Was it fear, a crush, or care for her teammates. Now, however, the woman looked deep within her and tried to sort what was inside.

There wasn’t much, yet it was confusing beyond reason.

For one, and the most obvious, she suffered because she was in love and that was ridiculous. It seemed that to love is to suffer. So to avoid suffering one must not love. But then one suffers from not loving. Therefore to love is to suffer, not to love is to suffer.

To suffer is to suffer.

A headache was brewing in her mind so Sakura settled in her favorite bar and sipped sake, while her mind continued to contemplate. Despite the suffering, she knew that to be happy is to love. That is how she felt with Orochimaru. Happy.

So then to be happy is to suffer, but suffering makes one unhappy, therefore to be unhappy one must love. Or love to suffer, or suffer from too much happiness.

It took Sakura a couple of bottles of sake to drop the subject. Fuck it, she decided finally. If love was suffering, a burning desire, well, then it was a very nice way to burn. She will accept the good with the bad with her open arms.

It felt like her heart was slow, but she tried to open it up as much as she could. Carefully like handling brain surgery. Sakura was hopeful for once in her life(lives).

━━━━━━━━━━

In her new getup with a cloak wrapped around her bare shoulders, Sakura made her way to Nagato’s quarters. No turning back now, she had to put things in motion before it was too late.

“Wolfy-kun?” she barged with a greeting in a determined tone.

Nagato was sitting by his desk with an open book. The man looked like day’n’night compared to the sorry state he was once she first saw him. His cheeks had color. The upper part of his muscular body no longer looked strained or bulky compared to shriveled legs. He had been working out. She could tell by the toned muscles of his thighs.

“Saku. I have not summoned you,” he rethored closing the book to give her his full attention. Face void of any emotions, and probably having no idea what he was about to hear.

“Yes. I have a matter to discuss with you, Wolfy-kun!”

“Saku. I will not change my mind,” he deadpanned, expecting her to talk about Orochimaru. Not today.

“It is about Tobi,” she crossed her arms, not impressed with the man's assumption.

“What about Tobi?” the look in his eyes changed. He was more wary and suspicious. Sakura had to guess that Nagato had his own suspicions by now. At least she hoped.

“I’m done with his bullshit! If he tries to put a genjutsu on my mind _again_ I’m going to murder him,” her voice didn’t waver. She was serious.

“Genjutsu?”

“Yes! I get it! You don’t trust me, but to test my loyalty by placing ideas into my head to _kill you_ is fucking shinobi shit. IF you have any doubts, please address them directly to me,” she huffed angrily, even forcing chakra to circulate more in her cheeks for that flush complexion.

“I trust you,” Nagato answered simply. Sakura blinked, faking her surprise.

“So… why then would you order him to put that shit in my head?”

“I didn’t.”

They stood in silence for a long moment. Sakura eased the hold on her hands that she had before as if some magical revelation dawned on her mind.

“So… Tobi wanted me to kill you for real?”

Nagato hummed as he turned away to look outside into the rain. Sakura decided to push it further.

“Has… he messed with the minds of other Akatsuki? Has he messed with your mind, Wolfy-kun?” she asked, making a small step back and widening her eyes just a bit.

“Cut the acting, Saku. You already know the answer,” he sighed and only then turned around to pin her with a stern gaze. Sakura smirked, easing in her stance. She shrugged.

“Okey, yeah, I had my suspicions, but I didn’t know _who_ was doing that shit. I noticed something was off the very first time I healed you,” she admitted the truth and his rinnegan could see it was no lie.

“Likewise,” Nagato gave a single curt nod in agreement.

“If I may add, from what I can tell, looks like Tobi has his own agenda,” she started carefully. “Leader-sama, I am afraid he was using you to reach _his_ goal. You are but one microscopic cog in his, dare I say, catastrophic plan about those stupid tailed beasts. Now I understand why it never made any sense to me. It is because this plan is designed and directed by Tobi, not you.”

“I have to admit that I came to the same conclusion as you, Saku,” the man sighed and now all her careful work on breaking Nagato apart has finally paid off. His mind was clear and he could see things as they were. Lies.

“Sooo, can I kill him now?”

“Not yet. I think it is time for me to have a talk with _Tobi_.”

“Hmmm, key. Just don’t die or something,” she mumbled feeling strange shyness to admit how much she actually cared about his well-being. Nagato’s face softened and he approached her.

“Are you doubting my skills, Saku?” he asked without bite. Even a small smile dared to tug on his lips. Sakura smiled back and nodded.

“Alright. Have fun!” she chirped and waved to leave.

Step one completed. Doubt with accusations and proof was placed out in the world. Now to wait.

━━━━━━━━━━

Nagato was surprised with the way he managed to control his anger. To be fair, he had really made similar assumptions as Saku for a while now. He even made use of his rinnegan and one path of Pain to delve into his memory. Until he found the exact moment his world view shifted.

The day the idea was planted into his mind.

And Saku just confirmed his suspicions. He sighed deeply, but glad that there were members besides Konan that he could trust. The woman’s care and affection for him was real. She truly obeyed his orders, even if he had doubts at first. Yet she never once strayed from his commands and did not even try to contact Orochimaru. He had been watching her and was left satisfied.

Furthermore, Tobi was insistent on Akatsuki partnering up with Danzo. To which both Saku and Itachi highly objected. And at this point, he valued their opinion far more than Tobi’s. Not even having to think twice about it, when the grotesque acts of Danzo were made public to him.

Now, he had to finally face the damned masked man. It was bound to be… interesting. He summoned Tobi the same evening.

Paths lined the corners of his chambers. Nagato stood watching the rain when Tobi appeared from the thin air. The man’s shoulders were square, he was not putting on the goofy persona here.

“Tobi. I am disappointed in you,” Nagato said as he turned around. “You dare to mess with my mind and will,” it was not a question. He could see a red glowing eye stare at him from behind the mask. But he was prepared this time. Nagato had secured his mind against the sharingan.

“What are you talking about?” a low and husky voice asked with a micro sarcasm he could sense. Thunder roared outside. Nagato was angry.

“I am absolute,” Nagato said without even having to raise his voice to sound intimidating and commanding. “The only ones that are allowed to look me in the eye are those that serve me. Know your place. Lower your head.”

“Do you even know, who you’re speaking with?” Tobi answered, definitely keeping up his gaze where it was. So insolent. 

Nagato narrowed his eyes. Interesting indeed.

“I am Madara Uchiha. And you _will_ follow my plan.”

That he did not expect. Madara… ah it made so much sense now. The incredible strength and skill Tobi showed up until now. And the level of genjutsu to affect even him… The sharingan... So this is Madara. Nagato still wanted to argue, but Tobi, no Madara, vanished.

Welp. That went well.

━━━━━━━━━━

Sakura was pleased with herself. She could not remember the last time she actually had a goal so clear in front of her. The reason to do the things she does. Before the talk with Hidan, Sakura felt like she actually was a cloud drifting through space. Now she had purpose.

Her goal was to return to the one who made her whole. Who healed her soul. But before she could do that, there was the second step of her scheme to be set in motion.

The woman reached her labs and closed the doors shut. The seals of privacy were activated and she could breathe out easier. She took off her cloak and went to check on her _little_ prisoner.

The doors to the cell were sealed overboard, but she was not taking any chances. Jiraiya with his old and pervy ways was still a sannin. A clever sneaky little shit. 

“YOU!” he spat with anger when she entered the room. He was pacing behind thick titanium bars. She made sure to disable his chakra network with medical ninjutsu, so he was almost helpless. Almost. But it worked better than some chakra cuffs, that could be broken or tampered with.

“Pipe down, ogre. I have a job for you to do.”

“PFT! You can kill me now! I would never do anything for you!”

Sakura sighed as she took some sealing paper and ink. The woman placed the things between the bars. And stepped in her safe distance away from him.

“So, you want the tailed beasts to be used as a weapon to destroy everything and anything around them?” she raised one delicate eyebrow of hers.

Jiraiya stopped and stared at her intently.

“Akatsuki _are_ using the tailed beasts as a weapon!”

“Plans change, idiot,” she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms impatiently.

“Please! As if I would fall for that cheap trick!” Jiraiya laughed, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“Listen, I will say it only once. You have it all backward. Akatsuki do not want war. _We_ want peace. As long as the hidden villages have weapons like tailed beasts, as long as they sacrifice their own people to be the martyrs - Jinchuriki, that will not happen.”

“Oh, and you have a solution for that?” the toad sannin was making fun of her. Oh if only she knew seals… but alas, his skills were needed. Sakura let out an exasperated sigh.

“No, that is why I need your fuckin’ skills in making seals.”

“What do you want, devil?” he snarled stepping closer to the bars but not too close. The man already learned not to touch them if he did not want to endure immense physical torture.

“We will seal all the tailed beasts somewhere where no one could ever take advantage of them again.”

“And that is?”

“The moon.”

Jiraiya blinked at her with a dumb expression. He opened his mouth and then closed it again. His eyes narrowed with suspicion.

“You don’t have all the tailed beasts.”

“When the remaining will die, _on their own time_ , jeez, sup with the judgment? Anyways, when they will die of old age or something, the remaining beasts will be sealed as well. In the moon,” she made sure to repeat it in case he didn’t hear her the first time.

“No.”

Sakura sighed and rubbed at her temples. She _really_ didn’t have patients or time for his bullshit.

“If you won’t help on your own violation, then I will invite Itachi-kun to join us, for _support_ ,” her eyes gleamed mischievously.

“I don’t believe a word you say!”

“Fuckin idiot,” Sakura shook her head again. “Listen, old shit, you’re the one making the seal, no? So you might as well add conditions so it could not be used in the way you would not approve or something. Like, it could not be used on a live human, only on a beast. Or it could only trap beasts in the moon and nowhere else. Or, that the seal could not be tampered with after. I. DON’T. CARE. Just fuckin’ do it before I made you do it without your will present.”

There was a pause while Jiraiya considered his options. Finally, grumbling something inaudible, the man caved and sat down on the floor with paper and ink in front of him.

“I will need chakra.”

“Fuck you. When you're done, Nagato will check it himself. He’s an Uzumaki, you know? He will be able to tell if your shit is worth anything or not.”

“Uzumaki?” Jiraiya gaped at her now. Ups.

“Mhm, chop-chop, I need it done soon before plans change again,” she smiled and waved leaving at his protests. Maybe he’ll forget about her tongue's slip?

“UZUMAKI????” or not. Sakura sighed and closed the door. Finally, she was back in the calm and silence of her lab.

Step two initiated.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sakura's new look:  
>   
> [Art Reference](https://www.deviantart.com/itsnattie/art/Raffle-3rd-place-Koran-724425014)  
>   
> P.S. While searching for the new outfit, I found this little gem. Purely by accident 😈 gives me strong OroSaku vibes.  
>   
> [Art Reference](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/843862048902798947)  
>   
> P.P.S. Buckle up, everyone! We are about to encounter some turbulence in our journey. The shitstorm is looming over us all ^^


	75. Arcanum Reveal

Akatsuki meeting came not a moment too soon. Sakura stood with everyone in the big hall under the ground of Amegakure. She was sure that Pain would deal with Tobi now. It had to be it. Why else would the masked Uchiha be so giddy without a care in the world by her side?

“There has been a development,” Pain started in his silence commanding voice. “Hidden Villages are bonding together to singular Allied Shinobi Forces.”

Oh. She blinked shocked by this change of events. For a moment she wondered if maybe Nagato planned to use Tobi one last time before kicking him out? 

“Oh oh! Are we going to take the ninetails finally? Tobi will be good!” the man chirped. This was not going the way Sakura planned it. Destruction of Konoha would not end well for Nagato. But Allied Shinobi Forces… that came too soon. Maybe villages panicked because Akatsuki are still as strong in their ranks? 

OR. Sakura cursed in her mind. It had to be Tsunade spearheading this union. Because her fuckin boyfriend never returned from his mission. Jiraiya will be the death of her, Sakura just knew it.

Talking about death, Tobi was far more obvious than usual with his mind tricks. It only took Sakura to glance once his direction and she felt the world slip.

**HAVE to KILL him NOW! Pain is a shit leader! He must die!**

Her regular voice roared with determination. Sakura felt her hand twitch. OH, this was it. Screw the plan. Screw her cover. They might question her knowledge later, but she will have to worry about it then.

Sakura snapped back from the illusion with a feral growl. Everyone’s eyes fell on her.

“I’m. DONE. FUCKING UCHIHA! I warned you what will happen if you mess with my head again!”

━━━━━━━━━━

Itachi managed to contain his flinch and only narrowed his eyes to look at Saku, who burst right in front of them all. Other Akatsuki members also side-eyed him now. The man expected to be attacked by her, even though he didn’t know what she was talking about.

So imagine his surprise, when instead, Saku leaped with a raised fist at Tobi. Everyone shared his shock, with Pain being the only exception.

Tobi faded out of existence and appeared ten feet away from Saku. His hand was rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. 

“Hold on! Hold on! Tobi is a good boy! EAK!” the man yelped as Saku lunged herself at him again. She was fast, but no match for his strange technique.

Itachi with his active sharingan noticed how Pain sighed. His eyes narrowed again. He waited for Tobi to dodge again, but instead, the masked man caught Saku’s wrist. His whole demeanor changed. A chill fell over the hall.

“So inflexible. You should have obeyed my command,” the voice came from Tobi but he sounded nothing like the annoying child-man they were used to. Something was up. Something Saku and Pain were the only two who knew what.

“Tobi is another Uchiha?” Deidara yelled out and at that moment it clicked for the rest.

“Yes, he is,” Pain confirmed with his hands crossed. It didn’t look like he was going to interfere. Itachi found that this was his cue. He appeared behind Tobi and swiped at him with a kunai. Hold on Saku was dropped at that moment when Tobi faded out of existence.

He reappeared farther away from everyone.

“I am Mada Uchiha and you will show me your respect, Itachi,” the man said in a low, dangerous voice. Itachi stepped back instinctively with disbelief.

What he did not expect was to hear Saku laugh. Everyone looked at her. Even Pain showed a micro surprised in his stony face.

“You FUCKIN wish! Madara? HAHAHA! Yeah, good try. Next,” Sakura now stood with her arms crossed again as if challenging Tobi/Madara to provide another answer.

“OH? You do not believe me?”

The smirk on Saku’s lips spoke louder than any words. Without hesitation, she made hand signs already familiar to Itachi. This time, however, she did not do them demonstratively slow, like the first time.

“ **Summoning: Reanimation!** ”

Low and behold, a white coffin appeared behind her. The lid dropped making them recoil with fear and shock once again. Inside the box with the godly red armor and all laid the one and only Madara Uchiha.

Undead eyes snapped open. Sharingan was instantly spinning to level each member of Akatsuki until it stopped on Tobi.

“I see. So you have failed, child,” Madara said.

“Who are you?” Pain asked anger clear in his voice directed at Tobi.

“Looks like Akatsuki is no longer of use to me,” Tobi said. Even though his face and sole eye were hidden behind a mask, Itachi felt the death and killing intent directed at Saku. With that, Tobi was sucked into a whirlpool void, leaving the hall once again in silence.

“Back to sleep, old man,” Saku chirped, releasing her jutsu. Madara, for all his power, was still unable to do anything about it. His eyes snapped shut, the lid closed and the coffin sunk back into the ground.

“What the FUCK just happened?” Hidan voiced everyone's concern. They all looked at Pain for an explanation. Now, very visibly their leader sighed.

“Saku, was he making the same request as before?”

“Yup. Tobi was really insistent on me killing you, Wolfy-kun” she shrugged, going back to her spot next to Itachi.

“I see. Looks like Tobi will have to complete his agenda by himself now,” the leader hummed not really explaining anything to them.

“Didn’t you kill everyone in your clan, brat?” Kakuzu spoke to him.

“Yes, I thought I had,” Itachi replied, recycling old memories. It did not make sense. Of course, Tobi could have stolen the eye, but by the skills he showed, it looked like he had Uchiha blood to control the eye.

“Saku, any suggestions?” Pain asked, making them focus on the woman once more. 

“Well, as you saw, he is definitely _not_ Madara. But he is Uchiha. The real deal.”

“You know who he is don’t you?” Itachi snapped, finally realizing who he was speaking with. Of course! If anyone would know their darkest secrets, it had to be Saku. She had this talent and intelligence to figure things out. 

“Maybe,” she smiled.

“Speak!” Pain ordered obviously losing his patience. The woman sighed.

“Well. He is Uchiha. He has one eye. Itachi-kun, do you know of any Uchiha who lost their eye?”

“No.”

“Okay, let me rephrase. Do you know of any _missing_ Uchiha who potentially would have only one eye?”

“No..” he was about to state it, but hesitated. Missing. That was the keyword. Obviously, if there was no body, you could not consider a person dead. Over the years, only a very small number of shinobi were lost like that. Finding the dojutsu wielder's body was always a high priority.

“Someone, who would be missing his _left_ eye maybe?”

Then it clicked. Itachi’s eyes widened.

“It can’t be!”

“Mhm. I had my doubts too,” Saku shrugged nonchalantly as if they were just sharing gossip. “But you know, I spent a while with the man. Sensei’s left eye is something I am very familiar with.”

Kakuzu was the first one to connect the dots.

“Kakashi the copy nin of Konoha? You are talking about his left sharingan eye? So the true owner of that eye is Tobi?”

“Mhm,” she chirped happily.

“Obito Uchiha. MIA,” Itachi announced.

━━━━━━━━━━

Nagato was not having a great day. He felt once again fooled by Tobi. At least now the man fled with his identity revealed. He guessed that Uchiha would join forces with Danzo, as he suggested on many occasions. 

Their plan to capture tailed beasts was meaningless. Yet the danger of Allied Shinobi Forces going after Akatsuki loomed over him like the clouds over Amegakure. Then Danzo with Tobi would probably do the same, to get the tailed beasts back. 

They would have to fight on two fronts. Nagato didn’t like such a possibility one bit. It was a strategic nightmare. One foe they could handle, but two? Very unlikely.

Military books flashed before his eyes recalling possible strategies and workarounds. There were only two options at the moment. Neither appealing.

Nagato had to think long and hard about what he wanted to achieve. Keeping Akatsuki alive was one of the most important points. Keeping the beasts away from Tobi was another. That is when Konan entered his office. She had a scroll in her hands.

“Nagato, this came to the leader of Akatsuki,” she said softly and gave him the item.

He unrolled the paper and read over it quickly. A relieved sigh escaped his lips. Closing his tired eyes, Nagato looked up and thanked the gods for bringing Saku into his life. This was his way out. _Their_ way out.

Quickly he wrote a lengthy answer and gave it to Konan to send it back with a hawk. Then he summoned Saku to give her the mission she would not like. It will be cruel, to give it to _her_ of all people. But it had to be her.

━━━━━━━━━━

The meeting ended with tension still in the air. Nagato instructed them all to remain in Amegakure as Tobi might try to attack. Sakura on her part was pleased how everything turned out to be.

It wasn’t her initial plan, but hey, it still ended with Tobi being kicked out and revealed for who he was. Step two completed. Now to kick herself out of this place and she’ll be free to do what she wants to do. And that was one particularly pale sannin. 

Thankfully, Nagato had summoned her before she went to him herself. She skipped to the room and entered without knocking.

“WOLFY-kun!” he looked grim. Thankfully she didn’t have his job.

“Saku, I have a mission for you!”

“Oh! _Finally_ I can kill him now?” she could only hope. Killing an Uchiha was still on her bucket list.

“No. I have received this letter from the Hokage,” he raised a scroll and all the blood drained from her face momentarily. Uh oh.

“Didn’t know you two were penpals,” she joked, without smiling.

“She had requested for us to return the tailed beasts and Jiraiya. They are aware he is still alive and for that, I have you to thank.”

“Me?” Sakura was lost.

“Yes. As by your request, Jiraiya was left alive, we can use him to our advantage.”

“Bargaining chip?” she guessed.

“Of sorts, yes. I have informed the Hokage of there being another mastermind behind the plot of collecting the tailed beasts. I also said that Jiraiya is working _with_ us to put a stop to this. _And_ I offered for Akatsuki and Amaegakure to join the Allied Shinobi Forces to face together against Tobi.”

“You… what…?!” Sakura felt like she couldn’t move. This was a left turn she was not ready to take. Akatsuki joining with other Hidden Villages? Maybe she was still under a genjutsu?

“KAI!” Sakura yelled out as she disrupted her chakra flow harshly.

“I can assure you that this is no genjutsu. I am completely serious. There is only one way to stop Tobi _and_ Danzo. That is to work together with Allied Shinobi Forces. This is the way we will achieve peace.”

Sakura blinked. Then blinked some more. Her mouth opened and closed as she could not find words. Well, she did find a few…

“What the fuck…”

Nagato sighed but kept insisting and logically she understood the reasoning. It made sense to work together against Tobi.

“Okay… but fuck… okay… oof… okay, this is fine,” she mumbled grasping for calm reasoning. She could potentially work with this…

“And now, your mission.”

At that, Sakura’s eyes snapped alive to stare at the rinnegan. She held her breath wondering what on earth the man had planned for her. Maybe this was karma?

“Saku, your mission is to deliver this treaty I just signed to the Allied Shinobi Forces that are now headquartered in the Village Hidden in the Cloud.”

Yes, this was definitely karma.

“No,” she said quickly as her mind reeled. The thought of facing Tsunade… Gaara… everyone… No! NO! NO!

“This is an order, you are the only one I would trust with this.”

“NO! Give it to Itachi-kun! He’s trustworthy!” desperately she tried even if she could see there was no way of swaying Nagato’s decision.

“It has to be you. You will deliver this document. You will face them because you are strong now. You _need_ to face them. And if it is not enough of a reason for you, Itachi is needed here. His sharingan will be invaluable against Tobi if he decides to attack us. This is an order.”

“But..”

“An order. Will you disobey me, Saku?”

“No…” she said weakly with her head dropped down to look at the ground. The thought of seeing everyone was daunting, but maybe… maybe this will be her chance to get away? Sakura took a deep breath and came forward to collect the scroll.

She left the office dazed. Okay, she got this. Go. Leave the scroll. Bounce. Sounded simple enough. As she walked the hall, Sakura noticed a person going towards Nagato’s office.

“Where are you going?” Itachi asked as he stopped on his way.

“Mission,” she said as if it was a death sentence.

“Hn. I am going to find Sasuke,” he announced as if she cared.

“Good for you?” Sakura suggested.

“And we will kill Danzo together. As a family,” he added.

“Sounds fun?”

“Hn.”

“Good luck, Itachi. Don’t die or something,” she muttered looking away.

“Hn. You too, Saku.”

So they parted. Sakura left to collect her things and Itachi entered Nagato’s office. She considered leaving at once, but now she was almost a hundred percent sure that coming back to Amegakure would no longer be an option.

Tsunade might just kill her on the spot, she smiled grimly. Now that’s a fun thought. Keeping her mind on her breathing, instead of panicking, Sakura collected a few items she did not want to part with. Her notes. A couple of tubes with DNA she collected.

There was nothing more to do here. Sakura took one last glance at the blurry outline of Amegakure and leaped away towards the Land of Lightning.

━━━━━━━━━━

Five kage all sat in a room together arguing, while sensors kept diligent watch over the perimeter via their secret techniques.

“Tsunade! You are insane! It is a PLOY!”

“Jiraiya is still alive! And if he is indeed working with Akatsuki, then I will take this risk!”

“I will agree with Hokage-sama,” everyone turned to stare at Gaara who has been silent up until now. They all preferred to argue over the insane idea Tsunade had just presented to them.

“WHAT?” Raikage roared slamming his fist into the wall.

“Our goal is peace. Joining together is the way to achieve it. As they say, our enemy's enemy is our friend, I believe that is the thought behind Akatsuki leaders thinking and I agree with it.”

“You are delusional and naive, kid!” Tsuchikage snorted.

“Either way, I have received their response. Akatsuki is sending one of their own with a signed document of the treaty. It is done.”

“Tsunade, you minx, going over our heads like this. I will support the whim of your heart,” Mizukage snickered covering her mouth with one manicured hand. She could relate to the feelings of her fellow female kage.

“Three against two. It is decided,” Tsunade smirked knowing that it was the end of the discussion.

━━━━━━━━━━

The news spread quickly over their joined forces. Shikamaru stood behind Hokage along with his father very much confused. It was an odd idea, but it might just work. Joining with Akatsuki was never a thought he considered. Honestly, Shikamaru found that he was not against it.

Some were more skeptical, but at least Konoha nin trusted Nara's judgment. A day had passed with many discussions and speculations. Sensors worked diligently, but still, they were all caught off guard when a puff of smoke appeared in the middle of the room right in front of all kage.

Shikamaru inhaled sharply as he recognized the pink hair and the dark cloak with red clouds. As the smoke fully cleared, there before Tsunade kneeled on one knee Saku. The silence was deafening, but it only lasted for a moment until Saku spoke, raising her head ever so slightly, a scroll in her extended hand.

“Mission completed, Hokage-sama.”

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the word you are all looking for is - PLOT TWIST! 😈😈😈


	76. Omake: Tsunade

**Chapter 33: Bloody Truth**

_Tsunade exhaled left alone. Now she, as the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf village, will have to make a decision. A decision that will impact Saku’s carrier as a Leaf shinobi._

_Sure, Saku Haruno showed great potential. Her disguise technique managed to fool the whole village. Not to mention the infiltration skills she showed and her resilience to literal torture. Saku could be used in many ways. And then there were her official records. Great strength, healing abilities, clever head. An exemplary shinobi by all accounts._

_Tsunade could really use a nin like Saku. She really could just ignore the obvious mental trauma the girl had and use her… But that could lead to the girl breaking completely._

...

_Sealing her emotions, Hokage entered the interrogation room and sat down in front of Saku._

_“You broke many rules. You deceived fellow Konoha nin,” she started trying to catch the teen’s gaze. Emerald eyes looked tired and empty. “No one will trust you again.”_

_"What happens now?" the teen asked carefully._

_"Now, we talk about your future."_

“Yes, Hokage-sama,” the girl responded in a detached professional way.

“You do understand what I said before? No one in Konoha will ever trust you fully again.”

“Yes, Hokage-sama, I understand.”

“But I cannot deny the level of skill you showed. I simply cannot,” Saku perked up and looked more alive as their eyes connected. “Are you aware of why Naruto is out of the village?”

“Yes,” that is the answer Tsunade expected to hear. She gave a curt nod.

“That is why I have a mission for you. I will not force you, but I do encourage you to consider it carefully. I want you to infiltrate the Akatsuki organization.”

The silence lasted not too long. Hokage noted how quickly the idea flashed behind Saku’s eyes.

“And if I decline?”

“Then you will continue to be Konoga nin under probation with the potential to get full clearance again.”

“And if I accept? What does this mission actually entail?”

“I want to know who exactly is part of Akatsuki. What is their goal? What are their weaknesses?”

“And… you trust me to leave the village? With all the secrets I have?”

That was a very good question. Despite what she said to the girl, Tsunade understood the reasoning behind Saku’s actions. Yet she knew very well that _that_ reasoning will be classified and other shinobi will not share her sentiment. So yes, she trusted Saku. More than that, she valued the girl's extraordinary skills.

“Yes, I trust you, Haruno.”

“Then… I accept this mission, Hokage-sama.”

“Good,” Tsunade nodded, not allowing herself to let out the sigh she had been holding in. “I will give you some time to tie up things you have left in the village. You will have to defect Konoha in a believable way. I will have our heads of Jonin, T&I, ANBU, and Inoichi to witness this. But I do not want any casualties, is that clear?”

“Yes, Hokage-sama. That will not be a problem,” at this moment Tsunade had no idea of just how underrated the girl skills records were, but she trusted Saku to make a convincing act.

“I will expect you to report back to me on a regular basis.”

“Hokage-sama, if I may suggest?”

“Yes?”

“I think it would be wise to have me reporting to a third party. In case my message is intercepted and my contact is brought to light, you would not fall under any suspicion.”

Tsunade was taken aback by the girl's care and thought through the whole severity of this task. She gave a hesitant nod.

“Who? Hatake?”

“No. I would suggest Shino Aburame.”

“Aburame? Why? To my knowledge, you are not close?”

“Exactly. But he is smart, discrete and his bugs would be hard to detect.”

“I see. I will consider it. Do you think he is trustworthy?”

“Yes,” there was no hesitation in Saku’s voice.

“Alright.”

“Alright.”

“Saku… this is for the greater good, I hope you understand. And your effort will be greatly valued by the whole Konoha and me personally.”

“Yes, Hokage-sama.”

“Haruno, don't make the mistakes that I did. Do not let yourself be controlled or overcome with the shadows, even if you will have to work in them. It'll wear your soul away.”

Tsunade was torn. The girl had agreed to her plan so easily, her dedication to the village was unwavering. Tsunade could only hope that she made the right choice.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Chapter 35: Boiling Point**

_“Saku Haruno. The council has voted and it was decided that…” Tsunade took a breath, her golden eyes looking straight at her. “...you will be relieved from your shinobi duties to Konoha. You are welcome to work in the Hospital as a medic.”_

…

_“Unstable, Haruno. The decision was made. I will ask you to give up your headband,” Tsunade was ice-cold just like her orders. Sakura was still staring at the Hokage without blinking._

Tsunade cringed inwardly at her proclamation. The part about the council was not a lie, yet it left a foul taste in her mouth to condemn one of her skilled shinobi like this. There was no turning back now. 

Saku had accepted the mission. Shino had accepted the mission. They were in for a very hard and tortuous path. Hokage hoped that it would pay out. Even the tiniest bit of intel will benefit them greatly. All for Naruto and her village. She will keep them safe at all costs.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Chapter 36: Leaving The Nest**

_Tsunade stood up sharply, the chair hit the wall behind her. Golden eyes flaming with something beyond rage. She instantly undid the privacy seals. ANBU posted outside the room immediately appeared. They were alerted by the sudden change in the air and a change in the number of people that should have been inside._

_“TRACK HER DOWN!” she ordered without blinking. “And SOMEONE, for the LOVE of HASHIRAMA upgrade our security seals!!!” she smashed her fist to the table that splintered into pieces from her chakra punch. Three men left in the room shared various levels of shock between them._

_Tsunade brushed the blood off her cheek and started to heal the wound. To her horror, the scar left behind was not going away. It affected her chakra pathways and branded even her transformation shape. She yelled out face turned to the sky._

She was prepared for Saku to retaliate and escape, but she was not prepared for _this_. Who could have known that the girl had such a powerful technique hidden all along? Now Tsunade allowed herself to hope that maybe, just maybe, Saku will succeed on this mission.

The first test was to see if the girl could get away from ANBU. Then the real trial will begin. The careful line of keeping the image of pursuit and actually giving Saku room to do what she has been tasked to do,

She cursed Saku once more as her fingertips went over the scar left on her face. Clever. Very clever. No one would doubt the girl now. Of course, Tsunade had a futile hope that maybe, after all is done, Saku could reverse the damage she did… Her vanity be blessed.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Chapter 39: Interim**

_“Hokage-sama,” four masked agents bowed before her._

_“Report!” she yelled out preemptively taking a bottle of sake from her desk._

_“No trace or trail. Any scent ends at Saku Haruno's apartment. We scouted the Land of Fire but there was no scent anywhere.”_

_A glass broke in Tsunade’s hand from the force she clenched it with. A Triangle scar was still prominent on her face._

Okay, maybe breaking things was over the top, but Tsunade had to keep up with her image. She inwardly exhaled commending the girl on the quick getaway. 

...

_“What is it?” the woman behind the desk growled. Kami, she did not need any more bad news but judging from her assistance face, that is exactly what she was about to get._

_“A letter! From Suna!” Shinuze handed her the scroll. Tsunade read it quickly and cursed in the words that would make Ibiki blush._

_“Shit… ‘Flee on sight’, huh? Fuck… At least she didn’t kill Gaara’s family. Who knows, that could start a war,” Tsunade bit her thumb as she was thinking. More than a month had passed since Saku left the village. The girl was clearly avoiding the Land of Fire. Yet, she, as the Hokage, could not ignore such an act against their fragile ally._

Thankfully everything went according to plan. They had decided a while back with Saku, that the best way to attract Akatsuki to her was via the Bingo Books. Tsunade marveled at how skillfully her shinobi had made the least amount of casualties for the act to be believable. She also said her apologies to Gaara. One day she will bow her head to the boy in remorse. But all was for the greater good, she told herself.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Chapter 41: Interview**

_Still battered and bloody Genma stood in front of Hokage as he presented the scroll with the remains of his team. Thankfully, he was dismissed before she opened it._

_He didn’t hear how Tsunade yelled or the sound of breaking furniture. His ears were still buzzing._

It was hard for Tsunade to contain her laughter as she was smashing away at her furniture like some feral animal. Those shinobi she sent with Genma were traitors and had to be ridden off eventually. Yet again clever Saku presented her with a way out - the declaration of leaving only a single person alive of those who would try to hunt her.

Convenient.

Shino had already reported to her before Genma even arrived, that Saku made contact with Akatsuki. Everything was going smoothly for now. But for how long?

━━━━━━━━━━

**Chapter 58: Home Sweet Home**

_“What is it?” he (Naruto) asked as neither spoke aloud._

_“Saku Haruno has defected from Konoha.”_

This was the part Tsunade was not looking forward to. She knew it would hurt Naruto, but on the other hand, it would only make the blond train harder to get his teammates back. The end justifies the means.

…

_Tsunade looked at her window almost glad that Naruto left so quickly, without asking for more details. **Kami knows she didn't want to lie to the boy**. She turned her golden eyes towards Jiraiya who looked unusually serious as he stood in front of her desk. She curved an eyebrow in a questioning manner._

_"Did you find something?" she asked after activating her highest level privacy seals. Even ANBU would not be able to hear their conversation._

_"I saw Haruno. In the Land of Hotsprings. That is actually one of the reasons we returned a bit earlier than I planned," the man said fully capturing her attention. Tsunade 'hmm'ed in response folding her fingers and placing her chin on top in a contemplative manner._

Lying to Jiraiya would be even harder so she opted out to say less rather than more. And this was the first sign that maybe letting Saku was not the best idea. 

_WHAT WAS SHE THINKING?_ Orochimaru was not in their plans. So why would Saku approach him? Maybe Akatsuki had already turned the girl against them? It could not be the truth. Shino still reported regularly giving bits and pieces about the organization.

By now, Tsunade knew the list of members the organization had and some of their skills. Even this intel alone made the whole mission justifiable. 

…

_"Hmmm, actually we might get two birds with one stone. I think it is time for Konoha to reach out to Uchiha Itachi. If Saku is indeed in Akatsuki, he might already know that we know. Maybe he can become our eyes and ears inside the organization. Plus, we could interest him with information about Orochimaru..."_

_"Tsunade! Just listen to yourself! What are you playing here? Hasn't the boy sacrificed enough for Konoha?"_

Tsunade cringed inwardly. If only Jiraiya knew… But Itachi was another goal of Saku’s mission. From what the girl had reported, she made contact with Uchiha. Two plants in Akatsuki was always better than one. At least they could have each other's backs.

...

_"Indeed, that is why we should not allow his brother to be Orochimaru's next vessel."_

_"Ha! And you just think that Orochi will come and give him to us? Please! Yes, he looked different when I saw him, but I am pretty sure he would rather kill us than give what we want."_

_"He looked different?" Tsunade leaned closer with her interest shining in her eyes. She raised her eyebrows further, when she spotted light dust of blush on Jiraiya’s cheeks._

_"He... I am pretty sure he was playing some kind of charade to manipulate Haruno..."_

_"And what charade are you talking about?" she pushed further to get a straight answer._

_"It doesn't matter! What matters is that he won't give Sasuke back to us!"_

_"We shall see," Tsunade mumbled, taking out a scroll. She still planned to get the truth out of Jiraiya later, but that could wait. For now, she had to set up a meeting with a snake._

Shino had not reported a single word about Orochimaru. That was concerning. Another reason why she insisted on meeting her former teammate eye to eye. Her instincts said that Saku could be in danger. Orochimaru _was_ danger. For now, she could only trust that the girl had not lost her mind and succumbed to the darkness.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Chapter 61: Friends & Foes**

_“Then what is your business with Haruno? What is she plotting??” Tsunade was relentless. She needed answers._

_“Perssssonal. And none of your business, sssso go back to spouting about Sassssuke.”_

Tsunade was a bit reassured by Orochimaru’s answer. She was sure that the sannin would not refuse such a moment to gloat if he actually knew of the mission Saku was on. After speaking with him another piece of the puzzle was clear - Saku approached him for Sasuke’s sake.

Leave it to the girl to sacrifice further for her village and her teammates. But it did not mean that Tsunade was just going to let Jiraiya off the hook. She _had_ to know the full extent of what Saku was forced to do for Konoha.

...

_“You will tell me exactly what you saw!” she yelled out leaping in the man's direction with a raised fist._

_“Please no!”_

_“JIRAIYA!”_

━━━━━━━━━━

**Chapter 62: The Spy**

_“JIRAIYA!” Tsunade bellowed as her fist made contact with the ground where just a second ago was the toad sannin. “GET BACK YOU SUCKER!”_

_“Tsunade! Trust me, you don’t want to know!”_

_“Oh, I definitely do!” she sprinted and after a mild chase she tackled the man down to the grass. The field around them, as shattered as it was, finally rested in silence._

Tsunade wanted to hurl. This was worse than what she expected. She wanted to punch herself into the gut. _Saku… Saku… what have you…_ Maybe the girl's mental state finally broke? It could also be the old _habits_ showing their ugly face.

Either way, it was unsettling, but… BUT! No matter how disturbing it was, Saku managed to sway Orochimaru into leaving his fangs off Sasuke. Once more the end justifies the means. This was not part of the mission, but Tsunade was thankful it happened.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Chapter 63: Two Tails**

_“Damn foolish and stubborn… Ach, what about Orochimaru?”_

_“Well, he was not there, Hokage-sama,” Tenzo added carefully. It was strange. They all expected to find the sannin looking over the boy, yet Tsunade didn’t share their feelings. On the contrary, she nodded as if that was what she expected._

Shino had reported the same news from Saku. Orochimaru really did abandon the idea. Meanwhile, the monitoring of Akatsuki continued. She got vague ideas of their plot. It was all coming together. Soon, she will be able to call back her shinobi… Tsunade hoped that when the time comes, it will not be too late for Haruno.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Chapter 64: Chemical Reaction**

_“Team Shikamaru! Your mission is to kill the Akatsuki and apprehend Saku Haruno. Any means necessary,” Tsunade's golden eyes stopped as each member of the team stood in front of her._

Her eyes stopped longer on Shino. There was a reason why the boy was on this team. His sole purpose was to take on Saku as they both could fake a fight without actually trying to kill each other. 

And if she paid the boy extra money on any mission he did as compensation for the shadow work he was doing, none were the wiser. It was shocking how nobody suspected a thing. Even Nara, with reservations and intellect they had, still were in the dark.

Tsunade promised herself, that after Akatsuki were dealt with, she would never again stoop so low as to use her shinobi in the way she used Saku.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Chapter 66: Why?**

_“SHE DID WHAT?”_

_“Shisho, I examined Naruto right away when Saku-san left. His wound was almost completely healed. Naruto confirmed that she had a hand directly around his heart… she could have killed him if she wanted to…” Hinata spoke, her stutter long ago forgotten and left behind where her innocent childhood lay buried._

That is what Tsunade asked, but for far different reasons. She wondered why in the world did Saku prevent them from killing the other Akatsuki pair??? She had a bad feeling about this. The evening could not come soon enough. She must speak with Shino to find what the fuck was going on.

…

“Hokage-sama,” the young Aburame stood in front of her in the Senju residence. It was dead of night. Their regular meeting happened here to avoid any praying eyes.

“What the fuck Shino?”

“Saku could not deliver this message the usual way as it seems the issue with Akatsuki runs deeper than we anticipated.”

“Explain!”

“During our fight, Saku made sure to take some of my bugs in a convincing manner. Only that way she could relay the message - there is another leader manipulating Akatsuki. He is the puppet master.”

Tsunade clenched her jaw. Another hindrance to their plan. Saku will have to continue with the mission. There was no other choice. With this development, they had to be sure before pulling her out.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Chapter 72: Omake: K for Are You Okay?**

All things considered, the Kage summit went well. They actually gathered in one place. Nobody attacked them and they came into agreement. Shit, Tsunade could not believe that Allied Shinobi Forces were actually happening.

Tsunade also noticed, that Gaara quickly took her side and not once complained about Saku. That was interesting and she would have to speak with him later. She had a suspicion, that the Kazekage knew something. 

Of course, she got an earful about _three_ Konoha nin being affiliated with Akatsuki from other kage. None of them knew about Saku’s true purpose. And Itachi's. And, fuck, even Orochimaru’s. None of them knew about Konoha’s dark secrets.

Each of these three shinobi were betrayed and left Konoha not in a usual defection way. No, they had very real reasons to leave. Tsunade did not blame them. Even Orochimaru.

She eagerly counted the moments before Saku could be brought back _home_. With the intel about the true mastermind coming to light, Saku’s work was coming to an end.

To her mild surprise, Akatsuki actually agreed to work with them! Kami, Tsunade was skeptical, when it was presented by Shino to her one night. Saku seemed adamant that the Akatsuki leader wanted peace and would not hinder Allied Shinobi Forces. Jiraiya being alive was all the proof she needed.

Tsunade inhaled and wrote the damn letter. Saku did not suggest this idea, but it only made sense to her. If Akatsuki were to be trusted, she would make sure that it was clear and in public. Giving yet another reason for Saku to return to Konoha unharmed.

The thought of greater good finally sounded like a goal they could actually reach. Tsunade, however, actively ignored all the questions and judgment she was bound to face when Saku will report back.

 _They will understand_ she told herself.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OkaY! SO I was really worried, that some of you might suspect something when the secret meeting happened between Tsunade and Saku in T&I. MUHAHAHHA! I feel very evil, that I had you all fooled for so long 😈😈😈
> 
> It was really hard to write Saku and Tsunade in a way that would not raise suspicions to the readers ^^ but would also make sense when everything is revealed.
> 
> A lot of you had an interesting idea of Saku actually making the whole undercover thing up. It is a great idea, but unfortunately, I had planned for this since maybe chapter 25 or so, so yeah 😂😂 otherwise, I would have taken the suggestion.
> 
> I really think that Saku being on a mission this whole time illustrates their personalities. Saku being loyal and dedicated, willing to sacrifice once more. With an added benefit of escaping Konoha. And for Tsunade to really show the hard part of what it means to be a kage. Even if you are good and kind, shady business happens for the greater good. When you are in charge of the nation, you cannot think about individuals. You have to think about the big picture. This is like one of those moral dilemmas about people laid on train tracks. Either you kill one person or many. It happens so often in real life. For example (if anyone has seen the new series) Chernobyl, when people, individuals, sacrificed for the wellbeing of the whole world. 
> 
> I hope this chapter answers some of your questions!! 💖


	77. Allied Shinobi Forces

Sakura traveled quickly over the Land of Fire. Just as she approached the next border, the woman stopped between tall trees. She was torn. The Land of Sound was so close… Turn left and here it was. Sakura inhaled deeply.

“Finish the work and then you can play,” she said to herself and made familiar hand signs for the reincarnation summoning.

A white coffin appeared from the ground.

“You know what to do,” Sakura said to the person inside the box. It was gone before the lid even hit the ground. Coffin disappeared leaving no trace of its existence. Next, another summoning. This time, from a poof of smoke, appeared her trusty raven.

“Mokuhi, I need you to take me to the Land of Ravens, then fly to the Land of Lightning and summon me back, when you are in place.”

She could not risk infiltrating over the heavy patrol and a mix of shinobi army from all villages. With a wild screech and another poof, the two of them were gone. Sakura was summoned once more in a couple of hours.

She appeared close to the kage headquarters. Without losing a beat, Sakura shunshined inside. She didn’t look around and only bowed before her kage, heart surprisingly calm. The thought of everything being over was calming.

“Mission completed, Hokage-sama,” she said, extending the scroll signed by Nagato.

“Finally, Haruno,” Tsunade snarled, ignoring the looks of shock. Calmly the Hokage took the scroll and started reading it as if Sakura didn’t just reveal their secret plot.

“I KNEW IT!” Shikamaru was the one to yell out, pointing a finger at her. Sakura didn’t look at him just yet. 

“What’s the meaning of this, Tsunade!!!??” A roared slamming another fist into the wall. Sakura stood up, with her shoulders square, stance tall. She only looked at Tsunade.

“Good good...” Tsunade murmured while skimming over the document.

“Tsunade-sama?” Shikaku carefully asked, but the gears in his head were already turning. The Hokage sighed after placing the scroll on the table. Her golden eyes looked over everyone gathered in this room.

“Saku Haruno was tasked to infiltrate the Akatsuki,” she finally said with the nonchalance fitting for the woman of her age and power. As if from thin air, Tsunade somehow now had a bottle of sake and poured it into her cup. This was bound to be troublesome. Sakura stood silent.

“I see. That explains a lot,” Gaara nodded, catching everyone’s attention.

“The kid knew?” Tsuchikage snapped displeased.

“No,” Gaara answered calmly. “But I did receive some help from Saku, that is what caused my suspicions. And thank you for that, Haruno-san.”

Sakura gave the redhead a nod of appreciation. She relaxed even more, now knowing that Gaara was not pissed at her.

“Explain yourself, Tsunade!” Raikage demanded.

Only after finishing her second cup of sake, did Tsunade speak again.

“Haruno proved to have great infiltration skills, so I tasked her to find out the identities of Akatsuki members, what is their goal and yada yada yada,” she waved her hand dismissively. “Haruno, elaborate on the newest development.”

“Yes, Hokage-sama. It turned out that there was another person secretly manipulating the leader of Akatsuki to capture the tailed beasts. That person used the same technique as was used on Yagura Karatachi the Fourth Mizukage to manipulate him in wiping out clans from Kiri. He goes by the name of Tobi.”

The tension in the room was thicker than Kisame.

Sakura continued.

“After I healed the leader of Akatsuki and his mind was clear, he agreed to cooperate with Allied Shinobi Forces. His only goal is peace.”

“Who is this leader of Akatsuki?” Tsuchikage asked.

“Nagato. Uzumaki Nagato. A former apprentice of Jiraiya of the Sannin.”

“Where is Jiraiya?” Tsunade now asked concealing her worry behind a calm facial expression while others took in the fact, that there was another Uzumaki out there.

“He is working alongside Nagato-sama to deal with the tailed beasts situation, Hokage-sama.”

“How?” Gaara asked now. It was surprising that the kage managed to hold a conversation without interrupting one other, Sakura mused.

“They will seal the beasts, Kazekage-sama.”

“Into whom? The beasts belong to the villages!!” Tsuchikage finally lost his cool.

“Not whom. What. They will be sealed out of any shinobi reached for good. Into the moon.”

The room went silent. 

“What about the eight and nine tails?” finally Mizukage regained her composure after the initial shock she received by hearing about her predecessor.

“They will also be sealed after their respectable jinchuriki’s natural passing,” Sakura answered. She was prepared to be grilled and took each question in stride. There were more questions. Discussions. Heated arguments, but Sakura ignored everything. She just wanted to be dismissed.

“Haruno, where is that Tobi person now?” Tsunade asked the final question.

“He has fled Akatsuki when his identity and plot were revealed. To my knowledge, he joined forces with Shimura Danzo. They will likely attack the Allied Forces to retrieve the remaining Jinchuriki.”

“Fucking Danzo,” Tsunade muttered not too quietly. “Shikamaru, take Haruno. Show her around our camp. I will summon you again when we finish setting the defense strategy with the kage.”

“Yes, Hokage-sama!” Shikamaru answered overly enthusiastically. He didn’t wait long to approach Sakura and together they left.

“I fucking knew it!” young Nara hissed as the door behind them closed. Sakura graced him with one elegant raised eyebrow.

“You better have. With all the hints I gave you,” she smirked.

“That time… with Asuma… I knew then. When you shared the details of how to kill that immortal Akatsuki...” Shikamaru said. He was avoiding her eyes for some reason.

“You’re welcome. Honestly, it was troublesome to not kill you all and still keep my cover,” she sighed. Suddenly, Sakura found herself engulfed by a tight hug. She blinked and realized that it was Shikamaru holding on to her.

“Saku… you idiot! Why did you agree to this mission?” he asked, finally pulling away.

“For the village? It is my duty as Leaf shinobi?” she blinked not really sure what else did he expect to hear.

“Hmmm.”

They walked for a couple of minutes in comfortable silence. Occasional shinobi they passed gave Sakura weird looks. She ignored it all. This was rather reminiscent of when she walked over Konoha without her male transformation. She shifted uncomfortably.

“Pinky?” Sakura stopped and looked up to see Genma staring at her like she was some ghost.

“Yo,” a casual raised hand was all the man needed. Another bone-crushing hug later, the recap of her secret undercover mission and the man was already laughing, like she had never left in the first place.

“Saku, I swear, if you pull this shit on me again, I’m gonna...” he didn’t finish the sentence and only hugged her once more before leaving. Sakura honestly couldn’t share his joy. She felt uncomfortable surrounded by familiar faces.

Their walk with Shikamaru continued. At one point they passed Shino. They only nodded to each other without exchanging words.

“What?” she asked Nara who looked at her with suspicion.

“I thought Shino would be more glad to see you…”

“Oh about that…” she smiled almost apologetically and explained how Shino knew about the mission all along.

They were finally outside and ever more shinobi took note of her cloak. They all stepped aside to give her way. Until…

The unmistakable sound of chidori cracked through the air. Shikamaru cursed quickly using his shadows to stop Kakashi in his tracks.

“At ease, Hatake. She’s good,” Shikamaru sighed but did not release the hold.

“Yo,” Sakura greeted her sensei casually and looked him in the eyes. Sharingan was spinning wildly at her.

“What’s the meaning of this, Shikamaru?” Kakashi growled. Somebody was still upset about having his precious dear star pupil Naruto harmed in front of their eyes. Sakura sighed.

“Saku was working undercover by Hokage’s orders.”

Chidori wavered and then dissolved. Shikamaru's shadows finally went back where they belonged.

“How long?” the silver-haired man snapped at her. So much rage. Sakura was a bit surprised, but thinking more about it, she could not blame him. Naruto was always more important to him.

“Since T&I,” she answered calmly and not at all bitter about his outburst. Imagine her surprise, when Kakashi appeared before her and hugged her the same way Genma did. She blinked furiously as her body went rigid.

“Sensei?” she carefully asked and only then did he release her. The grey eye bore into her emerald eyes.

“I thought I lost you… I failed you…” Kakashi whispered and Sakura didn’t know what to answer. Technically, he did still fail her. And he did still lose her. So she kept her silence. 

She wanted to escape this situation. She wanted to rather walk away with Shikamaru, but Kakashi followed them. It looked like the man didn’t want to lose sight of her again. As if she would disappear when he looked away. To be fair, that is exactly what Sakura planned to do.

━━━━━━━━━━

Four hours later, Sakura, Shikamaru, and Kakashi all returned to the main room where all the kage still discussed the plans. This time, there was a one-eyed raven perched on Sakura’s shoulder. Nobody questioned that.

“Haruno, where is Itachi, has he been compromised?” Tsunade asked, receiving a couple more shocked gasps in the room. This time, only Konoha shinobi were not surprised. They already knew about Itachi’s circumstances.

“No, Hokage-sama. He has left to find his brother and his plan is to take care of Danzo together. As I believe is the right of the last Uchiha to do so.”

“What is she talking about, Tsunade?” Mizukage asked. Looks like all of Konoha’s secrets were coming to light now. Tsunade sighed tiredly.

“Danzo orchestrated the Uchiha massacre and stole sharingan eyes of the killed shinobi,” quick like tearing off a bandage the truth was out. “Haruno, do you think they will win?”

Sakura glanced at her bird, who in turn chirped to her ear.

“We shall know soon enough. The fight has just begun.”

“Saku, you mentioned that that person’s, Tobi’s, identity was revealed? Who is he?” Gaara asked getting their attention back to the main issue.

“Yes…” Sakura paused and gave a small glance to Shikamaru. She didn’t have to say anything else. He knew what to do. Discreetly, Nara activated his shadow paralysis jutsu and took hold of Kakashi, while she continued to speak. “He is… Uchiha. Obito Uchiha.”

Silence.

“THAT’S IT! We need to ban Konoha from this alliance!” Raikage roared. Tsunade sighed. Kakashi shivered with his sole visible eye comically wide. 

“Are you sure, Haruno?”

“Yes, Hokage-sama. He has the identical mangekyou technique as Kakashi-sensei. I recognized the sharingan eye. Itachi confirmed.”

“How strong is he?” Gaara asked, ah the boy was a true voice of reason. Which was funny, considering his bloody past.

“Very strong. His technique is rather troublesome.”

There were more questions about Obito and his techniques. Sakura told everything she knew. Most of it she knew only from her past life, but none were the wiser. Eventually, Shikamaru let go of Kakashi, when the man’s chakra calmed down. He looked dazed.

In the middle of the discussion, the raven on Sakura’s shoulder perked up. She froze and cursed under her breath.

“What is it?” Shikamaru asked as he too paid little attention to the arguing kage. But he was not discreet, so now everyone turned to her again. Sakura inhaled.

“Shimura Danzo is dead… so is… Sasuke Uchiha. Itachi survived.”

A minute of silence engulfed the room. Kakashi looked drained and frozen. The poor man just gained one Uchiha but lost the other. She pitied his mental state. As Sakura, herself was almost glad to hear this news. The thing that troubled the woman was something else… someone else.

“Hokage-sama, there is another troublesome development.”

Tsunade groaned and waved for her to continue speaking.

“Looks like… following Sasuke’s death… Kabuto Yakushi was not pleased with the outcome and has now joined Tobi.”

“Kabuto? Orochimaru’s right hand?” she nodded in response.

“Why is that bad? Is he strong?” Tsuchikage asked.

“No, he is just a low-life medic…” Tsunade started, but Sakura shook her head.

“He might not be strong physically, but he is very dangerous. He has an army.”

“What.” 

“WHAT FUCKING ARMY? HOW DID WE NOT KNOW ABOUT HIM?” Raikage smashed the table.

“I doubt he could compare to Allied Shinobi Forces,” Shikaku tried to reason, but Sakura shook her head again.

“He can and at the moment I believe his arms could prevail compared to our allied forces,” everyone gaped. Tsunade narrowed her eyes.

“Out with it, Haruno! What do you know of his army?”

“They are… they all are reincarnations. The dead shinobi from every village. Former kage. Former teammates. And they regenerate.”

“I will not ask how you know this,” Tsunade muttered, making it hard for Sakura to contain a smirk that almost appeared on her lips. Looks like her former teacher did not want to out the last secret Sakura had. The better for her.

Hokage was biting her thumb, until a moment her eyes sparkled with an idea. She summoned her slug and whispered an order. Everyone watched curiously.

“Tsunade! What else have you planned???”

“Oh, nothing much, I might get help to deal with Kabuto,” mischief was the best word to describe the look on Tsunade’s face. Sakura had a mix of feelings stirring inside of her.

“Hokage-sama, I will request you to share what exact help you just summoned,” Gaara said, not mentioning the other times Tsunade had gone behind all of their backs. The old woman exhaled, but a smirk on her lips remained.

“I know only of one person who could deal with Kabuto and his undead pawns. Who else if not the man who created this technique. Orochimaru.”

Sakura’s heart skipped a beat. She knew it!

“Are you delusional, TSUNADE?” Tsuchikage spat out. Others knew better by now. There was something the woman had not told them yet.

“Haruno, Nara, Hatake, dismissed,” she waved her shinobi as it looked like the discussions with other kage about Konoha’s past were bound to go deep into the night. “And Haruno, keep me posted on any news.”

“Yes, Hokage-sama.”

━━━━━━━━━━

The next twenty-four hours went quickly. Sakura mostly kept herself away from people. Her heart couldn’t stop racing. She could have led a different life. She could have refused the mission. But… now she could only think about him. The one person who could ease her mind.

Was he safe? Would he actually comply with Tsunade’s request? If not for this mission, Sakura probably would have never had a chance to see Orochimaru and be with him in the first place…

Her worry was sometimes disrupted by Shikamaru or Kakashi. Both men took turns to check on her. Check if she was still there. She was. For now. 

It was evening again. Kakashi perched on her room windowsill.

“Saku.”

“Yo,” she greeted him as her eyes slowly opened from the meditation she was in.

“Let’s take a walk.”

“Hmmm,” she complied as there was nothing to do. Her ravens reported only the news concerning Obito. That part went according to plan. There was nothing about Orochimaru. She felt worry increase in her chest.

Kakashi slowly walked Sakura outside. They strolled across the village surrounded by the clouds. It didn’t even look like they were on the verge of war. If not for the absurd amount of shinobi all around.

“Obito, huh?”

It was the first time Kakashi dared to speak with her about his former teammate. She guessed that the copy-nin needed time to process everything.

“Yup.”

“How… how was he, when you saw him?”

“Delusional.”

Kakashi stopped and gave her a weird look. Sakura rolled her eyes. “Kakashi-sensei, do you really think that Obito, the Obito you knew, would do all that he did just like that?”

“I... I don’t know what I thought…”

“Obito was manipulated in some way. We might find out soon.”

“Soon? Saku, tell me! What is it that you’re planning?” Kakashi could tell something was up. Sakura debated whether to tell him or not. The pair stopped on one of the cliffs and watched as the last rays of sunshine were hidden behind the dark clouds of night.

“I… may have taken some measures against Obito…”

“Saku!” Kakashi grew impatient. He was clearly worried, but before she could say anything else, a distinctive ‘KRA’ sounded above them. Sakura looked up and extended her arm for the raven to land. He landed on her head instead. She sighed.

“Report!” Sakura asked, wondering what news it will be…

Unfortunately, it was not about Orochimaru. Even more unfortunate was that Kakashi was next to her. The man may not understand what raven spoke into her ear, but he would not leave her side now. Sakura needed privacy for what was about to come…

On the other hand… fuck it! Fuck Kakashi’s PTSD! Sakura released her summon and inhaled sharply. He might hate her even more than when she attacked Naruto.

“Okay, Kakashi, you have to promise me to stay calm and…” she couldn’t finish her sentence. Hatake’s head already snapped to the side in the direction of the incoming chakra signature. Sakura cursed.

The chakra signature owner descended before Sakura. It was the reanimated body she had summoned before going into the Land of Lighting.

It was Rin.

“Mission completed,” said the girl as her eyes looked at her master.

“Saku?” the disbelief and hurt in Kakashi’s voice stirred something deep in her chest.

“It was the only way, Kakashi-sensei. Only Rin could reach Obito at this point,” She tried to say it calmly. Then an idea came into her mind. With a couple of hand signs, Sakura released the emotional control she had over Rin, giving the dead girl feelings back.

“What… what did you do???” Kakashi looked between the two girls.

“I summoned Rin to find Obito and break the seal on his heart with medical ninjutsu. Only Rin could get close enough. Only before her Obito would not disappear and lower his guard,” Sakura explained carefully as her vivid eyes tracked the man's every move. She didn’t particularly feel bad about her actions.

It had to be done for the greater good.

“Kakashi?” Rin spoke carefully reaching her arm towards the man. He recoiled back with shock and disgust evident on his face. Sakura suspected that it was not the dead girl that revolted him, but the fact that his mistake was staring him in the face.

“I’ll give you some time to… sort things out,” Sakura exhaled and quickly left the scene before Kakashi had decided to chidori her heart for the desecration of his angelic former teammate.

Slowly Sakura found her way back to the main build where her temporary room was located. She made one heavy step after another. A bit longer and she could leave with a clear conscience.

By now Tobi should be railing in his existential crisis over the things he had done. Danzo was dead. She only waited to hear back from the raven watching Nagato and Jiraiya. Then she could leave…

Sakura opened the door and froze mid-step. Her eyes widened and her heart raced.

“Orochimaru!?” she whispered as her eyes took in the man that was standing in the middle of her room. The golden snake eyes bore into her skull. Sakura snapped out of her initial shock and quickly approached. Instantly her body felt a wave of relief wash over it.

Without thinking she pressed close to him and wrapped her hands around his waist. The man responded by wrapping his own long hands around her. He was here! He was real! She wanted to laugh and cry and shout all at the same time. The warmth that filled her was like the flames of Amaterasu. Eternal and unwavering.

The sannin leaned closer to her ear. His silky black hair tickled her skin bringing back all kinds of warm memories. She felt his lips ghosting over her skin. The low tone that was his whisper, sent shivers down her spine.

“Oh, how the tables have turrrrrned,” a dark chuckle reached her ear followed by a gentle kiss and Sakura stiffened in the embrace. It was Orochimaru’s voice, yet it was slightly different…

It was the same voice and words she had heard back in the Akatsuki hideout.

Uh oh.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Orochimaru has entered the chat ^^  
> 
> 
> The next chapter will finally focus on our beloved snake! But I am struggling with one part and need all of your help! ^^ What would be Orochimaru's pet name for Sakura? Leave your suggestions in the comments!


	78. Omake: Orochimaru

**Chapter 67: Grounded**

“Till the nexxxxxxxt time,” the words still rang in his head as the darkness took over. Orochimaru felt the ties on his soul release. Now he once more was floating through the void. A golden string led his way back.

The man snapped back jolting up from the laid position he was in. With the skills of a seasoned veteran, instantly he took note of his surroundings. Orochimaru found himself laid in one of his hideout's hospital beds. There were monitors and wires hooked to him.

Breathing heavily, Orochimaru took off all of the irritating wires and lines connected to him. Not a moment longer Shizune burst in through the door.

“Orochimaru-sama!” she yelled out.

“Yesss yesss…” he waved her off standing up. His legs felt shaky, but he ignored the feeling.

“You’re… you’re okay?!”

“Obvioussssly,” he snarled stretching. “How loooong was I out?”

“A week, Orochimaru-sama. You… you were in a coma,” she said hesitantly not daring to approach.

The sannin closed his eyes and breathed in. He was alive. Not a reincarnation, yet the memory was so vivid. He saw Sakura. It was definitely her… but not her. Slowly the gears in his mind spun pulling the picture together.

Sakura had summoned him. Just like he had summoned her.

“What happened? Should I notify the Hokage-sama?”

“No neeeeeed, to bother Naruto-kun. It was only an experiment gone wrong,” he waved his hand as his golden eyes opened again. For months he’s been working on a plan to get his Sakura back. He didn’t dare to tug on her soul after the last time.

But her soul was the only connection he had up until now. She was out there. Somewhere. Living another life. And Orochimaru knew then and there that he had to be with her again.

Seeing her mischievous eyes, strong composure… she was ravishing. His mouth salivated on the memory of her.

“I willllll be taking my leeeeave to the southern hideout,” he announced and left ignoring any other questions Shizune tried to ask.

Orochimaru felt the cold breeze on his skin and leaped over the trees. There was nothing for him to do here anymore. The meaning for his existence was somewhere else. 

Listening to the wind blow and watching the sun rise he ran at great speed. Running in the shadows he damned the cursed feeling in his chest. Love.

 _Damn your lies_ he thought remembering what Sakura had told him. She didn’t spare him the humiliation of being her puppet in front of Akatsuki. But Orochimaru couldn’t stay mad too long. He chuckled darkly. Sakura was deliciously strong. He had to have her again. This time, he would not let her go. 

“And if you don't love me now, you will never love me again is what you said,” he whispered into the last remains of the night. “...I can still hear you saying it…”

 _But you would never break the chain that binds us…_ he finished in his mind talking with Sakura in a way.

Down came the night again when Orochimaru finally stopped at the secret entrance. He broke the silence with jutsu that granted him entrance. This was one of the most secure hideouts he had. This was where _she_ was kept.

“Dammmmn the dark and damn the liiiiight,” he said making his way with purpose. What is the meaning of living like this? What is the meaning of it all if she was not by his side? It took him years and years and eventually her death to realize the mistake he made of letting her go.

Orochimaru felt like he could not make her happy. But his absence didn’t change the outcome. She was dead. That was not acceptable.

━━━━━━━━━━

Orochimaru worked without sleep or food. He finally understood how to make it happen. It took Sakura herself to show him the way. But there would be only a single chance. No repeats.

After weeks and weeks of calculations, he was finally sure of what to do. He didn’t know what time of day it was nor did it matter. Orochimaru stepped into the empty room deep within the hideout. There was only a table in the center. She laid there covered with a translucent silk sheet.

How many nights he spent like this just staring at her lifeless form? Too many. But soon they would be reunited. Orochimaru carefully brushed the back of his hand over her cold cheek. She had reached his goal. She was immortal.

“Eterrrrnal beauty,” he whispered and leaned over to place a gentle kiss on her lips. Orochimaru pulled back as his mind settled. He was ready.

“The first condition of immortality is death,” he said with a wicked grin. Never in his years, did Orochimaru imagine to be doing this to himself.

The man pulled a kunai from his sleeve and internally locked away the healing nature of his chakra. Did she have to do it as well, he wondered. For a second, sannin’s hand with a kunai stopped by his other hand’s wrist.

“Too ssssslow,” he considered.

SLASH.

One quick and precise move of his hand and Orochimaru’s neck was sliced letting the arterial blood spray everything in front of him. The feeling was numb but no less exhilarating. The knife dropped to the floor with a clang. In the last moments of his consciousness, Orochimaru found Sakura’s hand and gripped it tightly.

He couldn’t say anything, but her name rang loudly in his head. _SAKURA!_

And then he slumped over the table coloring the white silk red. Orochimaru felt his soul detach from his body in the same manner when he jumped from one vessel's body to the other. This time, he had no target.

There was only a void around him. Familiar emptiness. It lulled him to sleep, but Orochimaru resisted focusing on the goal. The golden string shimmered and dwindled until he could grasp it. 

_Just follow our bond!_ he ordered to himself. 

So he did.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Chapter 73: Love is…**

Orochimaru no longer had a concept of time. It felt like ages and a single minute at the same time. But his goal shined bright as the string led him back into the world of the living. 

The man almost expected to see Saku at the end of it, but… He saw himself! Sleeping in one of the hideouts. He gave in to the instinct and touched the body. Everything snapped around him.

The body jolted up with a familiar sense of being back from a coma. This time Orochimaru could not catch his breath. Panting he slumped out of the bed on the cold floor. Hair fell over his face. His hands shook.

Nobody burst in to check on the commotion. Still shivering, he touched his neck. The skin was soft and unharmed.

“Back.. back…” he whispered as a smile bloomed on his lips. Then a wave of memories rushed his mind. Memories that were his and yet different. He reeled back and laid flat on his back with his head pounding as if he just drank for a week with Tsunade.

“So… muuuucccchh…” he hissed while the years and years of memories flashed before his eyes. Konoha… Sakura in the forest… No. Saku?... Hiruzen’s death… Uchiha… Sakura again…

Orochimaru’s body eased when the pleasant memories took the stage. Her body… The countless encounters they shared… The man smiled pleased with himself. Ah, this version of him sure had way more fun, he mused. 

And then the realization and shock of it all took over. Holy Hashirama… His former/ present self actually made ends and tales of the feelings for Sakura. Orochimaru was surprised and impressed by himself.

“Ssssssaku….” he trayed her new name on his tongue and it rolled effortlessly.

Finally, the most recent memories caught up with him. Saku was gone. The feeling of the sun no longer shining without her. The feeling of the coldest winter without her. The feeling of pain caused by her absence.

He inhaled sharply and pulled himself up from the floor. A couple more steady breaths and he could stand again. There was suspense in the air. The loom of war. He couldn't care less about it.

A single thought controlled his mind - he could not find the way out of it all. So many years he had wasted, but it will change soon. His former self didn’t have answers, but the new him had. 

Orochimaru stood and flexed his muscles. The new body was even better than the one in his previous life. He could work with this for now. 

“They brought youuuuu away frommmmm me,” the sannin snarled with anger. Were it Akatsuki or Konoha nin, it didn’t matter. They were all in the way. 

“I hope they didn’t get your mind…” the man whispered when his chakra calmed slightly. Sakura… Saku was strong. She was unwavering. And she was his.

“Oh if you kneeeew that I need only you alonnnee…” he whispered looking up at the ceiling. There was no indication of how Saku felt about this former self of him. But looking more into the memories, Orochimaru noticed the way she clung to him… The way she dropped all defenses around him…

 _She_ brought his former self from the abyss. _She_ gave him hope and feeling again. _Ooooh Saku, I will forrrrrever be grateful…_ he thought as his mind already made careful plans of what to do next.

Life was never kind to Orochimaru. People were never kind to Orochimaru. Until Sakura appeared. Like a breath of fresh air, she undid all the pain and hurt. But…

His memory brought bits and pieces that were less than pleasant to recall. The deep scars on her back. The strange dead eyes she sometimes could not hide. Ahh… There was something in this time as well, that hurt her. 

From the past life experience, Orochimaru had a pretty good guess exactly _who_ it was. Considering that the war and memories went similar to his past life, the sannin had no doubts about it. Her parents.

No matter what knowledge or power he had, Orochimaru could not fix what had already happened even if he didn’t know the full extent of it.

“Or can IIIIIiii?” he wondered aloud as he made absent-minded way towards his lab.

━━━━━━━━━━

Orochimaru didn’t have to work long to devise a plan. A way to help Saku. To give them all the time in the world to be together. It also didn’t take long for a guest to appear in his lab.

“Sssslug princess,” he smirked, looking at the small creature perched on his desk.

“ **Tsunade-sama is asking for your help, Orochimaru-sama.** ”

“Ooooh? Is that ssso??” he smirked curving one elegant eyebrow up.

“ **Yes! Your follower, Kabuto. He has to be stopped.** ”

The man hummed and closed his eyes. The memories came back to him. _Kabuto and Sasuke, huh?_ he chuckled at the image and sighed.

“Fiiiiine. I shall take carrrre of Kabuto if you answer one quesssstion. Saku Haruno. Where is she at the moment?”

“ **Saku Haruno is with Allied Shinobi Forces in the Land of Lightning.** ”

“Exxxelent. Let Tsunade know that I will vissssit after Kabuto is dealt with.”

“ **Yes, Orochimaru-sama. Thank you!** ” the slug poofed out of existence leaving him alone once more.

“Noooooow, for a small detour before I see you again, my cherry blosssssom,” he hummed and vanished.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Kaaaabuto. You have been nauuughty,” Orochimaru said in a low voice as he stepped into the cave where his former follower took shelter.

“Lord Orochimaru,” the four eyes man didn’t look too surprised. As if he expected to see his former master sooner or later. “So, you have finally figured it out?”

Orochimaru didn’t allow the surprise to show on his face, but curiosity was there.

“Caaaarre to explain yourssssself, Kabuto?” he smirked making the question vague enough as to not give away his cluelessness.

“Honestly, I thought Akatsuki would kill her or at least force her to leave the organization after I clued them in on her affiliation with you. But alas,” the boy shrugged.

The snake froze for a second allowing his body that single moment of tension. Ah. So it was him who ruined everything… Well, now he could not spare Kabuto as he planned initially.

“Hmmm, whyyy?” anger was now palpable in the sannin's voice.

Kabuto smirked, taking something out of his pocket. It was a piece of fabric. The man sniffed it. Curious, Orochimaru tasted the air to check what exactly was so special about that fabric… Oh. OH! The smell of Saku was on it. The color… the texture… it was her…

“KABUTO!” Orochimaru snarled and the ground cracked around him from the wild chakra that leaked from his body.

“Honestly, I didn’t get your obsession with her… at first. But then… she is a delicious specimen. I wanted her for myself,” Kabuto shrugged. “I really thought she would leave you eventually, Lord Orochimaru. But I guess I am not as patient as you are.”

The snake narrowed his eyes. The insolence!

“Ssssshe would _never_ leave me! And iiffff she tried, I would never let her go,” Orochimaru may have said too much, but Kabuto provoked him with medical precision. Orochimaru did not want nobody else, but her. Even if she left him, that would not change.

Without passing another beat, Orochimaru attacked. Snakes appeared from his sleeves and targeted Kabuto. He noticed that there was something off about the boy. He was not as calm and collected as usual… And not only because of the fight that started between them.

Trading blows they danced in the cave causing rubble to fly in all directions. Orochimaru finally smirked.

“Where’sss Sasssssuke, Kabuto? Has he finally caught on to yourrrr games?” two could play at this game. Orochimaru noticed how Kabuto’s chakra lost control and the man became feral. A growl echoed over the space making the snake smile wider.

With this new body, his over 100 years of skills and knowledge, Orochimaru dodged easily any attack Kabuto even tried to throw his way. 

“That’ssss it. I do not have anymore tiiiiime to waste on the likesssss of you,” Orochimaru finally felt warmed up. He appeared right behind Kabuto with a sealing tag in his palm. It was placed on the boy’s neck. Instantly the seal lit up.

“Wha-wha-what’s happening???” Kabuto dropped to the floor, eyes wide with shock.

“I have sssssealed your chakra. This works better than any chaaaakra suppressing handcuffs,” Orochimaru said, taking a step closer to the mess of a man shriveling at his feet.

“Such a seal… but how? I have never seen anything like it before!” Orochimaru chuckled. Of course, he hasn’t. This was something Naruto himself developed in his past life. It took Orochimaru only a few tries in this world to recreate it. Kabuto had proven to be a perfect guinea pig to test it out.

“You’rrrrre done, Kabuto,” Orochimaru snapped his hand over the boy’s head and the limp body fell unable to protect itself from the quick attack. Chakra was the only way Kabuto managed to avoid Orochimaru’s relentless attacks so far. 

Without pity, the snake looked down upon his fallen pawn. It was a huge error on Kabuto’s part, to wish harm on Saku. Orochimaru would stop at nothing to protect her. His Sakura. His Saku.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Tssssunade,” the snake sannin smirked as he entered her room. The woman looked at him with suspicion but didn’t resort to violence just yet.

“Orochimaru. You’re back quick.”

“Kabuto wassss nothing but a nuisance,” he snarled and dropped the scroll with the boy’s body sealed in it on the floor.

“I see… I always thought that a snake only bites, when it is trapped in a corner or harmed,” she raised one eyebrow questioning his motives.

“What can I sssssay? I was borrrred,” he shrugged, not at all using this as an opportunity to be in the Land of Lightning.

“Mhm,” Tsunade was skeptical, he could see it in her eyes, but she didn’t comment further. “You know, Haruno was working for me undercover all this time.” 

Hokage was clearly gauging his reaction. Maybe if it were the Orochimaru of this time before her, he would have reacted. But as it stands now, this Orochimaru was wiser. He knew first hand just how far Saku would go for her village.

“Well, gooooood for youuuuu, Tsunade,” he chuckled. She narrowed her eyes even more. Ah, this was really fun. Too bad he didn’t plan on sticking around to play with them further.

“Stay away from her!”

Orochimaru was about to leave but stopped. Taking a long breath he turned around with a devious glint in his eyes.

“Do not worrrrry, I have no planssss on staying here. Farewell, Tssssunade,” he waved, giving her one last glance. He didn’t mention that Saku would leave with him.

━━━━━━━━━━

Her chakra signature was getting closer. The snake was almost surprised about the calm that was in his mind. It wasn’t hard to locate her room. The smell brought him there.

“Orochimaru!!??”

That sweet voice sent shivers down his spine. The way she said his name… Feeling her in his arms brought a whole nother level of calm.

“Oh, how the tables have turrrrrned,” he whispered, planting a kiss on Saku’s delicate neck. Orochimaru desperately wanted to hear her say that she loved him too. To hear her say that she needed him. To hear her say that she wanted him.

“You’ve been gooooood to me, Sssakura. Or should I say, Ssssaku? Yessss, you’ve been better than I’ve been to myssself. For that I thank youuuu, my eternal blossom,” he murmured into the woman’s ear.

━━━━━━━━━━


	79. Saku Haruno

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter inspired by Orochimaru's theme music ([Youtube Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2N189RxOnk))

“You’ve been gooooood to me, Sssakura. Or should I say, Ssssaku? Yessss, you’ve been better than I’ve been to myssself. For that I thank youuuu, my eternal blossom,” he murmured into the woman’s ear. 

There was a hunger in the way he kissed her. Sakura stood in place stunned. Despite the tingling and warmth that spread in her body, there were questions in her mind.

“Orochi? Is… that you? How?” she gasped feeling another wet kiss on her neck.

“Mhmm. All thanksssss to you. When you sssssummoned me I knew where to find you then.”

“Ahh..” she sighed, dropping her head back. It was virtually impossible to resist his touch, not like she wanted to in the first place.

“You were running blind, my dearrrr. Following your feeeeeet to try and outrun your fate. But noooow I am here and you don’t have to ruuuunnn anymore,” he whispered, making her mind go drunk with tempting lust.

“Orochimaru… I still don’t understand how?”

“Hmmm, one moment I wassss standing. You were there. Yourrrr dead body. The next two worldsssss collided. My past, futurrrre and present. And _they_ could never tear usssss apart again,” Orochimaru pulled back briefly to gaze deep into her eyes. His strong hands held her close.

Golden eyes showed raw emotion Sakura has never seen before. She was stunned in silent admiration. That is how she noticed a glimpse of what she could only call as sadness and hurt.

“Orochimaru?”

His grip tightened.

“We can live for a thoussssand years, Saku… But if I hurt you, I am sorrrrry,” she felt odd for a second and then heard a distinctive sound of a blade being sheath behind her. Yet she couldn’t turn her head away from his eyes.

Strong instinct urged her to pull away. Sakura had to use her chakra enhanced strength to do so… but her chakra was dormant. Untouchable. Fear of helplessness washed over her in a blink of an eye.

“What… what did you do?” her shaking voice was only but a whisper. It felt like the man’s shadow was now taller than her own soul.

“Chakra suppressssssing seal,” he answered with calm. Sakura almost cursed aloud. Naruto was a seal genius and now she was helpless because of it.

“Orochi…”

“I am ssssorry Saku. I love your preccccious heart, so I do hope you will eventually forgive me. I jusssst want more time with youuuu alone,” he leaned close to capture her lips.

At that moment she felt a long blade, no, a sword, pierce her from her back straight through her chest. From the taste of blood in the sannins mouth, she gathered that the sword didn’t stop there and went to his own chest as well.

They were now connected in a bloody union. 

They were dying.

...

...

...

━━━━━━━━━━

It was surreal. Kakashi never expected to see Rin like this again… The words she spoke were like a dream. Her plea for forgiveness… 

“Stop… RIN! Just stop! It was my fault!” he finally snapped. The girl looked at him with a saddened expression and shook her head.

“No Kakashi. You did everything right. You saved the village. And I chose to put this burden on you. It was selfish of me, but it had to be done. We are shinobi and we are meant to kill.”

“Rin… Just say you forgive me,” he almost begged.

“No! You say you forgive _me_! Only then can you forgive yourself.”

“...”

“Say it!”

“I…”

“Say it!”

“Rin… I forgive you…” sharp breath escaped his covered lips and his heart fluttered. He meant it. Surprisingly, she was right. The heaviness that clouded his existence diminished. He took another breath.

“Kakashi…” she wanted to say something more, but suddenly her head snapped to the side and her face scrunched.

“What is it?” instinctively on alert, Kakashi expanded his senses to check for any potential danger. They were still alone on the cliff.

“My… master, the one that summoned me… I cannot feel her chakra control anymore...”

“Saku?” Kakashi also looked in the same direction. Maybe something happened? Maybe the war had finally started? But there would be more commotion…

“Let’s go!” he quickly said to Rin and both of them took off to find his former student.

It wasn’t hard. The woman’s scent was still fresh lingering in the air. It led them back into the headquarters. As they neared Saku’s room, Kakashi noticed something else mixed in the air. The distinctive smell of blood.

He leaped faster over the stairs and halls until he reached a door. The smell of blood intensified. Urgently the man opened it and froze right there in the doorway.

His chakra instinctively flared a help signal and ANBU appeared not a second later. Then there was a rush of footsteps. Kage came into view, yet Kakashi didn’t see their faces. The only thing in front of his eyes was a slumped couple in a pool of blood and a brilliant sword glimmering in the light as it peaked from Orochimaru’s back.

━━━━━━━━━━

Tsunade was feeling on edge. The way Orochimaru left her… it was odd. The bad feeling only intensified when suddenly she felt a commotion and a trickling flair of chakras announcing that there was an incident.

Quickly she walked to where all shinobi were gathering. When her eyes noticed the floor she was on, the steps hurried.

“Fuck…” she cursed pushing past Kakashi to go inside the room. Then she froze very much like the copy nin behind her.

“Saku…” the woman whispered before she leaped closer. Her hands glowed green as she crouched in the pool of blood. Her fingers were shaking. There was too much blood.

She was too late.

The sword had gone straight through Saku’s heart. And Orochimaru’s heart. Their bodies were already getting cold.

Tsunade felt the heaviness of her age on her shoulders. Tears streamed down her cheeks. This… it was her fault… Giving Saku the mission… Calling for Orochimaru… Allowing him to leave…

“I’m sorry,” she whispered in a shaky voice. There was a dead silence around her. Nobody dared to speak.

━━━━━━━━━━

“YOSH! We did it!” Naruto gave a brilliant smile to Killer B as they broke through the barrier. With the sage chakra running through his veins, the boy sensed all his friends and comrades gathered in the village not too far away.

They were all there. Granny. Kakashi. Hinata… and… he scrunched his forehead focusing on one particular chakra signature.

“It cannot be…” the boy whispered. But it was true as day. Saku’s chakra was there too! A hope dwindled in his heart. His dear teammate was back…

Until… One minute, the chakra was there, the next it went still as if frozen… And then slowly, like trickling rain, the chakra signature vanished.

Without saying a word, Naruto ran at the speed of light.

**Kid…**

“SHUT UP, KURAMA! NOT NOW!” 

**Kid… you’re too late…**

Naruto for once in his life could not believe it. It was a lie. A trick. Saku could not be… gone.

━━━━━━━━━━

“How did this happen?” Gaara asked when kage gathered in an urgent meeting.

“Orochimaru used a seal to suppress Saku’s chakra,” Shizune said, while Tsunade drank straight from the bottle. The woman looked disheveled.

“Good riddance, both of them,” Tsuchikage muttered but was not unheard. Honey-colored eyes snapped at him with unadulterated rage.

“DON’T YOU DARE! WE ARE ABLE TO FIGHT AGAINST TOBI ONLY BECAUSE OF THE WORK _SHE_ DID!” Hokage yelled and smashed the bottle from frustration.

It was a solemn morning. Most did not grieve, like Konoha nin. They still had doubts about Saku. About Orochimaru. Their death meant only two enemies less.

But not for Konoha.

Shikamaru found out about it from Kakashi. He couldn’t believe it until he saw Saku’s body in the morgue. That was the moment he broke down on his knees. Kakashi stood by his side. 

Young Nara cried over the loss just like the first time she left him. Again, he was helpless to do anything about it. The world shattered around him into a million pieces.

“It will get better,” Kakashi said, planting a heavy hand on his shoulder. He was right. Life would go on with another name on the memorial stone.

Naruto was standing beside Saku, eyes red from tears that just kept coming. Today he lost not only one, but both of his teammates. His family. He was again alone in this world. And no one to blame for it.

━━━━━━━━━━

...

...

...

Sakura felt her spirit go up into the inbetween. It was crying for leaving the world she just started to call home. She saw rings of smoke around her. There were distant voices of those who stood looking.

She drifted away into the darkness allowing herself to fall. A ghostly hand grabbed her hand. She looked up to see Orochimaru’s face through the haze.

It felt like nothing in this universe happens just once. Here she is again dying. Infinity was going in both directions around her. There was only him now. And there was no unique event, no singular moment.

Sakura gave in to the force that was carrying her over the abyss. Maybe death will finally take her, but it was wishful thinking. Orochimaru’s grasp was ironclad. He was taking her away for another journey. Another chance…

 _Saku Haruno_ she thought to herself. _I don't even know who Saku Haruno is anymore. I'm a different person now. A person who uses curse words and kills people and sees things that aren't there. A very bad, very damaged person…_

Her life and existence changed. She was no longer the same Sakura. Nor was she Saku anymore. There was a hesitant realization blooming in her mind. Hope as she embraced the next change that was bound to happen. 

_Sometimes change can be good… You can find a new family. New connections. You might get lucky for once in your miserable life._

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Orochimaru & Sakura in the void:  
>   
> [Art Reference](https://www.tumgir.com/tag/OroSaku)  
> 


	80. Conclusion

First things first.

*cue southern accent* You guys! Yall! WE DID IT! Arcanum is revealed and completed! 💖

I would like to start with my utmost thanks to each and everyone who read this story, who commented, who left kudo’s, who subscribed, who gave me your time. 💖💕💖💕💖😊

The support I received… the love… the care…!!! I cannot put into words how happy you all made me! 😭😊

Might be silly for me to respond to each comment or thank you every time for reading, but I genuinely appreciate every single time you guys took your precious time to read my fic. I loved the discussions we would have in the comments. I loved the support you showed to my Saku and her choice of men 😈🐍🐍🐍🐍 

OroSaku was not something I planned and boy I was surprised that you responded well to this ship 😊😂🐍 There were a lot of things I did not plan and even more of what I plotted from the very beginning.

This fic was inspired by a couple of specific scenes (The info reveal during Tsunade’s inauguration; Saku seducing Tsunade; Saku facing Shikamaru as Akatsuki;). Never in my mind, did I think those couple scenes could snowball into… _this_! 

And boy was this journey amazing! I am not a writer, so often I struggle with words and expressions. Sometimes I would worry that my writing was getting worse. Your support kept me going and for that, I am sincerely grateful! 💖

I took most of my inspiration (as you probably already noticed) from music, movies, TV-shows and etc. As I am not that clever to come up with some of the dialog or thoughts or expressions. Don’t sue me! 😇

Now, couple notes about the last chapter.

Yes, it was short, but I did not want to water it down or just write empty words for the sake of having a higher word count 🤔

If there are any plot holes, things you want to read about, that I did not cover, please leave those ideas in the comments and I might just create one shot's to cover them!

What’s next?

**ARCANUM WILL HAVE A SEQUEL!**

Yes, baby! I have planned for it since the moment I decided on the final pairing. The sequel will focus on what happened to Orochimaru and Saku. It will be light, domestic, and fluffy! Warning, the sequel might cause diabetes, because it will be very sweet and cheesy :D I REGRET NOTHING!

I have created a placeholder for the sequel, you are welcome to follow it: [Anima](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29681799/chapters/72984639)

For now, I will take a break to figure out the timeline, events that I want to cover, and plan. I have most things already decided but need to finalize it before I start writing 😊 Any suggestions, ideas & requests are very welcome! 💖

Finally, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart! I hope to see you all soon on our next adventure. 😊


End file.
